Chains of Iron
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: They had once been bound together with chains of iron- but when something happens that threatens to shatter that bond, all of Osaka is thrown into a panic with it. With Kazuha in critical condition, and Heiji having vanished, Conan is left to unravel the mystery behind a chain of serial bombings. And when a corpse of one of the bombers turns up, things turn far more complicated.
1. A Lovely Day in Osaka

**AN** : It's that time of the year- new story time, that is! I figured that I should probably start writing this one before movie 21 comes out sometime in April, especially because the idea has been floating around since August or so! Boy though is it going to be quite the doozy, but it's a doozy that I'm looking forward to writing! I hope everyone else is just as excited about it as I am, because I've got a bunch of things planned for it that, I, personally, think are really cool.

As always, don't hesitate to leave a review, especially since this is just the first chapter! And what a first chapter it is indeed.

* * *

 **Chains of Iron**

 **Chapter One**

 **A Lovely Day in Osaka**

* * *

"If ya don't hurry up already Heiji, I'm goin' ta leave ya behind!" Planting her hands firmly on her hips, Toyama Kazuha pivoted on her heel, casting a sharp look back towards her childhood friend. Ever since he was a child, he had a tendency to drag his feet when he was doing something he wasn't particularly interested in- and it appeared that today was no different.

Even though he'd been the one to invite _her_ out for a change. To be more exact, he had only just asked her if she had anything planned for today- the two of them both had the day off from school because of the founder's holiday- and she was the one who had decided on what it would be that they were doing today. Still, she hadn't gotten the impression that he was so disinterested in the plans that she had made that it would cause him to sulk- although she suspected she already knew what the real reason for such behavior was.

"Yer annoyin'." Grumbling more than a little, Hattori Heiji tucked his hands in his pockets, lips twisting in a deep frown. "I'm comin' already. There's no need ta rush, the department store isn't goin' anywhere."

"That might be so, but ya shouldn't be actin' so glum when yer the one who invited me out in the first place, Heiji." Kazuha noted, folding her arms in front of her chest, carefully walking backwards so that she could look him in the eye. "If ya wanted ta do somethin' else, ya should have stepped up an' made the plans yerself."

"I was just expectin' that those two would be with us today." Heiji pointed out, quirking a brow. "An' after I went through the trouble of invitin' them an' everythin'."

"It can't be helped. Ran-chan got the date of her school's holiday wrong, an' it's not like Conan-kun can come all the way out here by himself." Kazuha told him. "Besides, they'll be comin' here tomorrow still, so it's not like ya won't see 'em. There's no reason ta sulk. It's our own long awaited holiday, so we might as well enjoy it, Heiji!"

"M'not _sulkin_ '." Heiji protested, shooting her a rather annoyed glower that did anything but prove her wrong. Judging from the smug expression her face took on, she knew it too- and instead settled for averting his eyes from her. "I'm just a little disappointed. That's _different_."

"It's basically the same thing." Kazuha pointed out, shrugging her shoulders as she once more pivoted on her heel, facing forward. "Well, cheer up, Heiji! Isn't that mystery novel that ya've been wantin' ta read comin' out today? Ah, but that doesn't mean ya can spend the whole time after ya pick it up ignorin' me in favor of readin' it, ya got that?"

"I _won't_." Heaving a long sigh, Heiji finally picked up his pace, so that he fell into step with Kazuha. "Speakin' of which, ya haven't even told me what ya needed ta pick up at the department store today."

"I did!" Shooting him a rather fearsome glower of her own, one that had her childhood friend flinching, Kazuha heaved a sigh. "In the first place, I'm not goin' there ta pick up anythin', I'm goin' there ta help out with the show that's takin' place on the roof today. Remember? I told ya about it before. That's why Ran-chan an' Conan-kun were supposed ta come over so early today, so they could see me doin' that!"

"Ah, now that ya mention it, I get the feelin' ya might have said somethin' like that." Glancing away from her, Heiji scratched his cheek, letting out a nervous laugh. Honestly, he hadn't actually been listening to her after she had informed him that Ran and Kudo weren't going to be able to make it today after all- and here he thought that they would have a chance to spend some time together in his own hometown for a change, rather than in Tokyo.

It wasn't like he didn't like going up there to visit them, but it was nice to have them down here for a change every once in awhile. It _also_ meant that he wouldn't have to put up with that uncle's snoring either, which was always a plus. He didn't understand how it was that Kudo could sleep through that, night after night.

"But just in case I forgot somethin' ya said, why don't ya tell me again what it is we're doin' here?" Heiji asked, not daring to look in her direction, least he have to directly face her wrath. She could be pretty scary when she wanted to be!

Heaving another long sigh, Kazuha couldn't help but wonder what it was that she saw in that _idiot_ that had caused her to fall in love with him in the first place. It was a question that she already knew the answer to, even if it was one that she found herself often asking these days. Of all the luck- out of all the guys she knew, she just had to fall in love with the one who was the densest by far. Given his reputation as a great detective, it was almost hilarious, were it not such a pain for her.

"Like I said, I'm fillin' in fer one of our classmates. Since Aiko-chan broke her leg the other day, she needed someone ta fill in fer her usual gig today. She can't miss the chance ta make a bit of extra money on today's holiday, an' she already promised the show's manager that she would work today." Kazuha told him. "Since I'm around the same size as her, she asked me ta do it."

"The one who works as an announcer for that hero show, right?" Heiji asked. "Now that ya mention it, I do remember that. But are ya sure it's fine? Ya aren't gonna be embarrassed about puttin' on such a show in front of a bunch of people, are ya?"

"Of course not. It's mostly little kids an' their mothers anyways. Aiko-chan does it all the time with no problems, so it can't be _that_ embarrassin'." Kazuha told him, turning away from him. If there was anyone that she might be embarrassed about doing it in front of, it was that _idiot_ next to her. But when she took a second to remember what a thick skull he had, suddenly any feelings of embarrassment that she might otherwise have floated away as if they were never there in the first place.

"Well, if ya put it that way." Heiji noted, shrugging his shoulders. "Ya sure ya got the lines memorized?"

"Of course. It's not like it's that hard ta remember. It's a hero show, not a Shakespeare play." Kazuha noted, placing her hands on her hips, as she cast a quick smile up towards him. "But rather, I should be askin' ya the same question, Heiji. Are ya sure the famous high school detective of the west isn't gonna be embarrassed ta be seein' watchin' a kid's hero show?"

"Idiot, of course not." Taking a few steps forward so that he was now walking in front of her, Heiji folded his arms in front of his chest. "Besides, there's no way I could miss yer big _stage debut_ ~."

"Who knows, maybe I'll get scouted an' become famous?" Shrugging her shoulders, Kazuha quickened her pace so that she once more was keeping up with his long stride. If that was how he was going to be, then she could more than roll with that. "Wouldn't that be great fer ya, Heiji? Ya can become the childhood friend of a famous star. I promise that I won't forget ya when I'm part of the big leagues."

"Well, well, I'm flattered ta hear that!" Flashing her a broad grin, Heiji nudged her in the shoulder, a playful expression crossing his face. "Well, at least ya won't have ta worry about any stalkers or anythin' like that. Ya'd take care of anyone dumb enough ta want ta follow a brute of a girl like ya around in a flash."

"Who knows? Maybe I'd get typecast as a damsel in distress, an' _really_ give some asshole a surprise later on." Kazuha noted. "Although I think Ran-chan would probably give 'em a bigger surprise than I would. Did ya see that video she sent us of her last karate match?"

"She's really somethin', that Neechan." Heiji noted, before his expression fell once more, brows furrowing together in annoyance as he was reminded again of the fact that she was _supposed_ to be here right now. "Although it would be nice if she had double checked when her school's holiday _really_ was. I thought it was almost a bit too good ta be true that we had one on the same day. Not ta mention that Ku-" Stopping himself mid-sentence, Heiji nearly froze midstep, before he quickly continued on, hoping that Kazuha hadn't noticed anything. "... _Conan-kun's_ school is closed today too. Speakin' of which, why was that again?"

"Repairs, I think." Kazuha said. Sometimes it felt an awful lot like it was in one ear and out the other with him. "Somethin' about pipes or somethin' like that. Well, it can't be helped. Like I said before, it's not like Conan-kun could take the train out here by himself. He might be smart, but there's all sorts of bad people out there! Someone might want ta target him because of his connections with Ran-chan's father, after all."

"Well, I guess that's true." Heiji admitted after a moment, glancing away from her. There was no way that he was going to tell her that not only could Kudo catch a train by himself just fine, but she had actually gotten her scenario reversed- if there was anyone in danger from their connection, it wasn't Kudo himself, but rather, it was that detective agency's uncle.

Not that he could blame her for thinking that way. To Kazuha, Edogawa Conan wasn't anything more than a normal, if not rather smart, first grade student. He couldn't imagine how she would react if she ever learned that he was actually Kudo Shinichi, the one that she spent quite a bit of time complaining about having left Ran behind like that.

Well, no, that wasn't quite true. He could more or less imagine exactly how she would react- in that she would almost _definitely_ try and beat him up.

"Anyways, we've still got an hour before the show starts, so ya should have plenty of time ta get that book ya wanted first, Heiji! Once it's over, we can get lunch, an' then we can go watch a movie! I just happened ta get some tickets from yer mom the other day." Kazuha told him. She had known that glint in Shizuka's eyes when she had handed the tickets over to her, but she wasn't going to fool herself into thinking that Heiji thought that anything about today seemed like a date.

To him, it was just another day spent with his childhood friend, a common occurrence between the two of them. Nothing special at all.

"Oh, sounds great!" Flashing her a wide grin, Heiji's expression just as quickly shifted to that of a frown. "But we're not goin' ta see that cheesy romance movie all the girls in class are talkin' about, ya got that? I've got no interest in somethin' like that."

"Don't worry, don't worry. They're fer the spy thriller." Kazuha reassured him, waving a hand. "I was goin' ta go see that movie with some of the girls from class next weekend anyways, an' ya'd just spend the entire movie bein' grumpy, so there's no point in bringin' someone like ya in the first place."

"Then, that's fine!" Heiji noted, tucking his hands back into his pockets, casting a quick glance down towards her. Watching the way her ponytail bobbed and weaved as she walked, Heiji quickly averted his eyes from her once more, unable to help but briefly think that maybe it wouldn't be that bad even if they did go see that romance movie together. Who knows? Maybe it would even serve to help set the mood between the two of them.

Well, it wasn't like today was a day to confess anyways. After all, Kudo had done so in front of Big Ben in _London_ \- and as much as he loved Osaka, doing it here just wouldn't work. It had to be somewhere else- somewhere special, otherwise it would be practically meaningless.

It wasn't like it was just because he wanted to show Kudo up or anything like that, although that certainly was a part of it. It was just that Kazuha deserved the _best_ , especially after how long he had kept her waiting already- something like that blurted out, spur of the moment confession back on Ebisu Bridge wasn't _anywhere near_ good enough.

Besides, if he had no intention of confessing to her this time, maybe nothing would happen that would get in their way today. No nues, no JSDF members, and _no murder cases_ \- just a nice day shared between childhood friends, where nothing went wrong.

That wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

* * *

"And? Are you are that hero show right now?"

"Yeah, it's probably gonna start in a few minutes." Glancing down to check his watch, Heiji leaned his head closer to his shoulder, holding his cellphone in place with it as he did so. "It's too bad though, that ya have ta miss it. A hero show is just perfect fer a little kid like ya, don't ya think?"

"Shut up." At the sound of Conan's grumbling from the other end of the line, Heiji couldn't help but laugh, something which only served to annoy the shrunken high school detective all the more. "I don't want to hear that from you."

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Heiji asked, narrowing his eyes. "Yer not gonna try sayin' somethin' like I'm childish again, are ya? Listen, just cause it took me awhile ta realize my feelings fer Kazuha doesn't mean-"

"Considering the fact that it's obvious that you've had them ever since that case in Tottori, I don't think that counts as just _awhile_. Most people would notice sooner." Conan observed, cutting him off. "Well, it's possible that you might have had them even before that, but I wouldn't know that much, considering I didn't even know either of you before this year."

"Ah, that's true. It's a bit funny when ya think about it that way." With a slight frown, Heiji rested his head back against the pole he was leaning on, waiting for the show to start. Casting an eye over the small sea of mothers and young children, he couldn't help but smile a little, wondering if Kazuha would really be alright. She might have said that stuff earlier, but once she had gotten in costume, it was clear to him that she was starting to get nervous.

Hopefully a familiar face in the crowd would help calm her down. She'd probably be fine- she was always tough like that. Something like a little stage fright wasn't nearly enough to break her down. Honestly though, she was always agreeing to do stuff like this. He was starting to wonder if she even knew how to say no to people asking her for favors.

"So? Do ya wanna watch the show?" Quickly changing the topic, a broad grin spread across Heiji's face. Judging from the faint sound of music that had just started playing, it was probably going to start soon. "I could show ya the whole thing usin' video chat. It's Kazuha's big moment, after all."

"I don't think working as announcer for a department store hero show counts as a _big moment_." Conan dryly observed. "I bet you're just excited because you get the chance to see Kazuha-chan in a cute costume."

"Shut up, that's not it. An' it's _weird_ ta hear someone with a little kid's voice sayin' that." Grumbling a little, Heiji's brows furrowed together, for a moment grateful that Conan wasn't actually here. Otherwise he would have been able to tell just how red his cheeks had gotten at his comment, and that would only just serve to make his teasing worse.

It didn't help that she did, in fact, look really, _really_ cute in that outfit. Not that he'd ever admit something that embarrassing out loud!

"Not my fault. I can't do anything about it right now." Conan told him. "Those three dragged me out to play soccer today, since we all have the day off, so it's not like I can use the voice changer around them. I wouldn't use it just for something like that in the first place either."

"Well, I suppose that's true." Heiji noted. "Ah, but it's startin' soon, so I should probably hang up. If Kazuha sees me talkin' on the phone durin' her show, she's definitely goin' ta get angry at me. Ya are still actually comin' tomorrow, right? That Neechan doesn't have any last minute change of plans brewin' again?"

"We're coming, don't worry about it. Ran's looking forward to it." Conan noted. The look of disappointment that had crossed her face when she had returned home from school the previous day, after she had realized her mistake, was one of those things that he didn't like to see. Well, he had been kind of looking forward to seeing Heiji and Kazuha again as well- hopefully this time, with no murders involved.

"Then, that's fine then! Make sure ta keep it that way, Kudo!" Heiji said, nodding his head. "I'll pick ya up at the station bright an' early when ya get here. Me an' Kazuha both."

With that said, Heiji hung up the phone, tucking his cellphone back away in his jacket pocket. Folding his arms in front of his chest, a slight smile crossed his face as he watched the excited chatter of the children, who were realizing that their favorite heroes would be coming to the stage soon. Even though the weather was a bit chilly outside, it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest.

This kind of thing wasn't bad every once in awhile, he supposed. He could still remember going with Kazuha to see shows like this when they were both around that age- it had always been a highlight when one of them had been selected by one of the heroes on stage to help them.

"Hm?" Catching something out of the corner of his eye, Heiji turned his head in that direction, a small frown crossing his face. It was a somewhat stocky man with a large backpack, who seemed to be searching around the roof rather nervously- was he trying to meet up with someone, maybe?

"Everyone! We're all _super excited_ ta have ya here with us today!" As the sound of Kazuha's voice came out over the loudspeakers, Heiji's attention turned away from the strange man, watching as she emerged from the side of the stage, a bright smile on her face. As a soft smile spread out across his own, any thoughts of the man with his backpack were put out of his mind for the moment.

* * *

"So? How was my stage debut, Heiji?"

With a bright smile as she took the seat across from him, Kazuha had to admit, she was a bit glad to be off of her feet. She could understand why her classmate wasn't able to go on stage with a broken leg, even if she was only just the announcer, and wasn't actually doing any of the stunts involved herself. Not to mention that that costume wasn't exactly the warmest thing to wear in the chill of late winter- she was glad to be out of it, and back in warmer clothes.

She had to admit, she was a little bit upset that Heiji hadn't told her that she looked cute in it or anything like that. Not that he was that type to begin with, but it would have been kind of nice to hear, especially because it looked like he was actually thinking that, if only just for a second.

"Ya seemed like ya had real star potential ta me, Kazuha." With a broad grin, a mischievous glint twinkled in Heiji's eyes, as he reached over to snatch one of her fries, in spite of having an untouched carton of them himself. "Especially durin' the part where ya got captured by the bad guy's underling. That was some serious actin' right there, pretendin' like ya were some kind of weak little flower!"

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a hero show if the announcer freed herself from the bad guys. At the very least, not fer the kids." Kazuha noted, reaching across the table to steal one of _his_ fries in return. "But it was kinda fun! Maybe I should do somethin' like that again?"

"Oh, ya get interested in actin'?" Heiji asked. "Well, not that ya can really call that _actin_ '. If ya were playin' one of the heroes, maybe..."

"Well, if they were to cast ya in one of those shows, ya'd probably end up as the _villain_ , Heiji." Kazuha noted, a mischievous glint of her own dancing in her eyes. "Do ya remember the time ya got cast as one in our fourth grade class play? Ya got so upset about it at first, even though ya got really into it in the end!"

"Shut up, don't bring up somethin' from that long ago." Folding his arms in front of his chest, Heiji leaned back in his chair, shooting her a dirty look. It was hard to forget that play- he had ended up accidentally defeating the hero that was supposed to defeat him, and the narrator had to scramble to change the ending at the last minute. He was pretty sure his mom still had a copy of it on tape somewhere, in spite of the fact that he had asked her to get rid of it. "An' of course I got angry. Honestly, castin' a _police officer's son_ as the villain- what were they thinkin'?"

"They were probably thinkin' of that infamous temper of yers." Kazuha noted, taking a bite out of her burger, pausing to wipe her mouth before she continued. "Well, ya have mellowed out a little since ya were a little spitfire of a kid, though I'm sure there would be plenty of people who wouldn't believe that at all."

"What's _that_ supposed ta mean?" Quirking a brow, Heiji reached out to take a fry- one of his own this time, idly munching on it. "Ya make it sound like I was some kinda menace."

"Well, you _certainly_ could be somethin' of a handful at times, Hei-chan." At the sound of a voice that they both quickly realized they recognized, the two turned to face the source of it. With a rather knowing smile on her lips, the middle aged woman who had called out to them looked more than a little pleased. "But I hear that ya've shaped up ta be a fine detective since then, just like yer father."

"You're-!" Heiji began, quickly recognizing the woman who had called out to them, what started as a bristling reply at being compared to his father quickly turning into a bright smile. "Inoue-han! What are ya doin' here? Last I heard, ya had moved ta Aomori."

"That's right, I did." Nodding her head, the woman rested a hand on the head of the young child standing next to her, half hiding behind her skirts. With a mop of dark brown hair, and large, equally brown eyes, he didn't resemble his mother that much- not with her dark red hair, which had only just started to turn gray at the edges. "But we had the day off today, so I thought I would bring this little one here ta see the town his mother was born in."

"Heh, is this yer son, Inoue-han? He's really cute!" Beaming brightly, Kazuha leaned a bit closer to him, growing a bit curious when he shied away from her a bit. He looked just a little bit younger than Conan, she found herself thinking- and definitely a good bit shier. "I'm Toyama Kazuha. Yer mother used ta be a good friend of mine, when I was just a little older than ya."

"That he is! His name is Hiiro. We were actually just watchin' the hero show just a bit ago. I was quite surprised ta see ya up on stage like that, Kazuha-chan! That's probably why this one is actin' so shy right now." Glancing between the pair, a hint of a sly grin worked it's way onto the woman's face. "But I see the two of ya are gettin' along as usual. I guess some things really don't ever change, huh?"

"Well, I couldn't get rid of this girl even if I wanted ta." Heiji remarked, turning his gaze down towards the child hovering by her side, before it worked upwards towards the hand that was still resting on his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. Three fingers were lightly twined with her son's messy hair, the other two ending in stumps at the first joint. "How have ya been doin' since that incident?"

"I've been gettin' along." Removing her hand from her son's head, she cast a somewhat rueful look down towards it, flexing what fingers remained. "One of my friends who lives there offered me a job at her bookstore when I retired from the police force because of it, an' I've been workin' there ever since. It's a nice place. The two of ya should drop by when ya have a chance."

"We'll keep it in mind if we ever end up there, then." Kazuha told her, flashing another smile towards her son, who meekly responded with a small nod this time. "Are ya goin' ta be stayin' in Osaka long?"

"No, we'll be headin' back tomorrow." Shaking her head, she paused to glance down at her watch. "Ah, speakin' of time though, the two of us have ta head on. We're supposed ta meet a friend of mine here fer tea."

"Cake too, mama?" Tugging at his mother's skirts, Hiiro glanced up towards her, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yes, yes, there'll be cake too." Quickly reassuring her son of this fact, she cast a glance back towards the pair of teenagers. "Then, it was nice seein' the both of you again. Make sure ta pass my greetings on ta both yer fathers if ya get the chance, you two. Not ta mention Otaki-han- he is still workin' for the police, right?"

"That's right. He got promoted ta Inspector since ya retired." Heiji remarked. "Well, be sure ta ingrain into yer kid how great a place Osaka is while yer here."

"I will, you don't have ta worry about that. It's the town that his mother grew up in, after all! There's no way I could let him have a bad impression of it." Flashing the pair another small smile, the middle aged woman nodded her head. "Well then, perhaps we'll see each other again. I hope the two of ya enjoy yer date."

With a slight hint of laughter, she made her escape, before either of the pair managed to gather up enough of their senses to protest the fact that this _definitely_ wasn't a date, fading into the crowd. Grumbling a little, leaning his chin into his hand, Heiji couldn't help but wonder if it really looked that way- so much so that someone they hadn't seen since middle school made that mistake.

Or perhaps people had been thinking of the two of them that way ever since way back then. No, reflecting back on it now, he was pretty sure that was the case- but he had always just assumed that it only extended to his middle school classmates, and not to the adults around them. His mother excluded, of course.

"Now, now, there's no need ta have such a look on yer face, Heiji. It's not that big of a deal." Holding up her hands, Kazuha flashed him a small smile. She couldn't help but bothered by the fact that _he_ looked bothered at the fact that someone had mistaken them as a couple- maybe she really had just been hearing things back on that bridge. Ran might keep saying something about a premonition of love every time she paid her a visit these days, but maybe they were both completely off the mark.

Of course it was a big deal- but not for the reasons that Kazuha probably thought. Leaning back in his chair, Heiji picked up another fry, unable to help but dwell on the fact that _literally everyone else_ had seemed to notice his own feelings for Kazuha long before he had. Honestly, some great detective he was, not even being able to pick up on something as simple as that.

"But that was nice~. I didn't expect ta run into Inoue-han here. She's lookin' a lot more cheerful than she was in the past. I was really worried about her, when she suddenly moved away like that." Kazuha noted. It wasn't that she could blame her, considering what had happened back then- but it was good that she seemed to be recovering. "An' she's even got a son now! I guess she must have gotten married again after all?"

"Either that, or she just adopted a kid on her own." Heiji noted, grateful for the change of subject. "They don't really look anythin' alike, that mother an' child." Closing his eyes, a hint of a smile crossed his face- the last time that he had seen Inoue Haruka was when she had been handing in her resignation to Kazuha's father after _that incident_. That was back when he was still in middle school, nearly four years ago. "Well, I suppose ya don't have much time ta be depressed about the past when ya got someone dependin' on ya like that. It's probably good fer her."

"That's true." With a nod of her head, Kazuha picked up her burger again, glancing across the table towards Heiji. "We might call it an accident, but they never found him, did they? The guy who was drivin' the other car?"

"Well, the old man thinks he wasn't a local ta begin with, so he probably left the city after the crash." Heiji noted. "There's no reason fer him ta stick around here, not after that bastard did somethin' like that, even if the crash itself really was an accident. Still, it bothers me that the car was rented underneath a fake name. Makes ya wonder what he came here ta do in the first place."

"Not ta mention that it made findin' him so much more difficult. I guess the case was pretty much dropped after Inoue-han moved away, though. I don't think anyone wanted ta bring up such a painful experience for her again." Kazuha noted, taking a bite out of her burger. With a slight frown, she noticed the way Heiji's gaze trailed off in another direction again. He had been doing that every so often for awhile now, she couldn't help but notice. "Is somethin' wrong? Ya keep lookin' around."

"Ah, no, it's nothin'." Fixing his gaze back on her, Heiji shook his head. There was another one- a somewhat out of place looking man. In addition to the one that he had spotted on the roof earlier, this made the third one he'd noticed so far. This one didn't appear to be carrying anything with him, like the previous two had been, but he had to admit that it bothered him.

Just in case, he'd take a picture of this one. Carefully, so that Kazuha wouldn't notice, he pulled out his cellphone, snapping a photo of the guy from underneath the table. It was possible that it was nothing, but it was also possible that it was something. All of his instincts were telling him to check it out a bit more closely, but...

He really didn't want to ditch Kazuha today. She had been silent on the entire train ride back home from Tokyo the other day, and the last thing he wanted to do was abandon her again, especially when it might very well be nothing at all.

"Well, that's good!" With a bright smile, Kazuha seemed satisfied with that. As long as it wasn't something that was going to drag him away again, she would put up with it. "I'm really lookin' forward ta seein' this movie! I heard from Sachiko-chan that it was really good! She got ta see the early release of it the other day."

"Ah, the one from yer club whose old man runs a movie theater, right?" Heiji recalled. She did have pretty good taste in movies. "Well, in that case, it's probably as good as she says. The trailer did look awfully interestin', from what I remember."

For today, and today only, he'd put the matter aside. If it didn't become anything serious, then there was no need for a detective- and he'd already been interrupted by cases too many times to count. That _definitely_ wasn't going to happen today, not if he could do anything about.

Maybe it was for the best that Kudo wasn't here right now. If he were, then there was no doubt that he would have talked him into following one of the strange men. Honestly, sometimes that guy _seriously_ couldn't read the mood.

Although he supposed that he shouldn't be the one saying that.

* * *

"Ah, hold on just a second, Heiji!"

Turning back on his heel, glancing back towards Kazuha, he quickly took note of the way that she had started to dig through her purse, a somewhat frantic expression on her face. "What's up, Kazuha? Ya forget somethin'?"

"Yeah, my cellphone. I was sure that I had put it in here, but..." Fumbling through her purse for a second more, she heaved a sigh, apparently giving up. "It's not here. I know I had it with me when I left the house this mornin'."

"Maybe ya left it in the dressin' room?" Heiji asked, glancing back up towards the department store that they had just left. "I don't think ya could have had many other chances ta lose it, aside from that. I guess it's possible that someone might have taken it from yer bag while ya left yer purse behind durin' the show, but if yer wallet's still there, then I doubt it."

"Yeah, it's still there." Nodding her head, Kazuha gave him something of an apologetic smile. She had been so worried about him running off on her, and now _she_ was the one messing things up. There was a hint of irony there. "Then, why don't ya head ta the movie theater before me, Heiji? I'll run back up ta the dressin' room real quick ta see if it got left behind there."

"There's still over thirty minutes before the movie starts, an' it's barely even a ten minute walk ta the theater from here. I'll just wait here." Taking a seat on the bench behind him, Heiji flashed her a quick grin. "Make sure ta check with the lost an' found too, if ya can't find it up there. Someone might have already turned it in."

He knew that it wasn't the cellphone itself that was so important to her- but rather, what mattered most was what was attached to it. Reaching into his pocket, his fingers brushed over that of his own- one of a pair of charms that she had made, with a small link of a handcuff chain tucked securely inside the pouch. He couldn't say if those things actually worked or not, but he knew just how important that they were to Kazuha.

"Then, I'll be right back, Heiji!" Pausing to give him another quick smile, Kazuha turned on her heel, pulling the strap of her purse closer to her as she hurried back towards the department store. Watching as she disappeared back into the building, Heiji leaned back on the bench, pulling his cellphone from his jacket pocket. He knew that body language of hers all too well- no doubt that she was doing her best to cover just how worried she was.

Maybe he should go ahead and call it, just in case. It would be terrible if someone had found it lying around somewhere, and had decided to take the chance to help themselves to it. He doubted that they would answer his call if they had, but it was a worth a try.

Well, at the very least if someone had decided to do that, there was a chance that they might have removed her charm first. It would make the cellphone stand out too much, and they wouldn't want something on it that would allow it's real owner to quickly identify it as their own. If that was the case, even if they couldn't manage to find the cellphone, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Something like a cellphone could always be replaced.

But to Kazuha, that charm was an irreplaceable treasure. So much so that when he had accidentally given away, she had gone all the way to Tokyo just to search for it. Reflecting back on that case, he now realized that the person who had scribbled all over the photo of himself that had been tucked away in the charm probably hadn't been Kazuha at all- but that guy he had accidentally given it to.

When he had mentioned that particular revelation to Kudo, his friend had given him a long look, muttering something about him taking long enough to figure that out underneath his breath. That guy sure spoke big sometimes for someone who probably wouldn't have realized the feelings his _own_ childhood friend had for him if he hadn't heard them directly from her. As far as he was concerned, he had basically cheated.

"Eh?"

His cellphone suddenly starting to vibrate in his hands, Heiji frowned, glancing down at the screen. The incoming call was coming from Kazuha's cellphone- and there was something that wasn't quite right about that. Sure, the lost and found was on the first floor, so if she had decided to check there first, she would have been able to make it there by now, but there was no reason as to why she would have to call him from there. And there was no way that she had made it up to the dressing room already, which was on the very top floor.

Had someone else found her phone after all, and were trying to get into contact with the person who owned it? That was strange though- why would they call him, as opposed to Kazuha's parents? They were both listed as the first contacts in her phone, and there was no reason he could think of that her mother wouldn't have answered, even if her father was busy.

Might as well answer though. If it really was someone kind enough to try and find the owner of the phone they had found, he had no reason to ignore the call. And if it _was_ Kazuha, he already knew full well that ignoring her would only annoy her.

Hitting the button to pick up the phone, Heiji placed it next to his ear, getting to his feet. On the off chance that it _was_ her- "Is that you, Kazuha? Did ya find yer phone already?"

There was a long pause at his words, silence hanging in the space between them. Narrowing his eyes, something bothering him about this, his grip on his cellphone tightened, the charm he used as a makeshift cellphone strap brushing against his knuckles. He didn't know who this was, but there was _no way_ that it was Kazuha. She would have answered him right away. "Oi, who is this?"

The voice that came across on the other end of the line definitely wasn't Kazuha's- and if he didn't miss his guess, it wasn't the real voice of the person speaking either. Unless they were using something as sophisticated as one of that Professor's voice changers, it wasn't that hard to tell when someone was using something to change their voice- as such was the case here.

"You are that high school detective, Hattori Heiji, are you not? It would be terrible if I had somehow gotten the wrong number."

"Yeah, that's me. But who are ya supposed ta be? This ain't yer phone, but I'm sure ya know that much already." Narrowing his eyes, Heiji took a step forward, his gaze instinctively finding it's way to the top floor, where Kazuha probably was right now. Who was this person? Why did they have her phone? Had they stolen it from her? If that was the case, how would they have known that she was going to be here today, and what exactly was their objective?

There were too many questions, and Heiji got the feeling that he wasn't going to like the answer to any of them.

"I'm afraid that's something you will have to discover on your own, Hattori-kun. If you're really as skilled as they say you are, it probably shouldn't be a problem." The voice on the end of the line was so distorted, that he wasn't able to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman- but their words alone were more than enough to send a chill down his spine. At once, those strange men from earlier flashed back into his mind, a cold grip of fear taking him firmly within it's grasp.

What if the reason that third man didn't have a bag was because...?

If that was the case, then he needed to hurry up and get Kazuha out of there right away, or else-!

"I see that you seem to have realized it, but it's a bit too late for that, O great detective." Their words did nothing to halt Heiji's pace, as he made a break for the department store, almost not hearing them over the pounding of his own heart. Some part of his brain was still working however, as he found himself hitting the record button on his phone. "You did me quite the favor in the past, so you can consider this a little present from me to you. I do hope it's to your liking, Hattori-kun."

The first blast was more than enough to knock him off of his feet, throwing him backwards from the sheer force of it. It was a testament to how tight his grip was on it that his cellphone didn't fly right out of his hand, as he found himself thrown into the pavement, hitting his head on the edge of the sidewalk. Around him, cars served to avoid the fallout from the blast that had come from the department store- in the back of his mind, he dimly noted that it's origin was from the third floor. Forcing himself to maintain his awareness in spite of the blow to the head, Heiji gritted his teeth, forcing himself back to his feet, forcing himself to take another step forward.

In the back of his mind, still aware of things other than his increasingly desperate need to know exactly where Kazuha was, he was still counting. After the first blast, there one, two, three, four- but for the life of him, he wasn't able to say which of the blasts triggered that dreadful sight, horrifying enough that, for a brief moment, he felt his heart stop in his chest.

He'd been called hotblooded by more than a fair share of people in the past. But as he watched the roof of the department store start to collapse into the floor directly underneath it, he could feel his veins turn to ice. For a moment, his mind went completely blank, unable to process anything that he was witnessing, perhaps wondering if this was some kind of horrible nightmare.

She couldn't... she wasn't there, was she? She couldn't be... she couldn't be... because of him, she couldn't be...

Faintly, ever so faintly, he could still make out the sound of the voice on the other end of the line, though their words weren't registering with him at the moment. The person who had set this all up. The person who had taken Kazuha's cellphone. The person who had ensured that she would go back into the department store. The person who had done this, because of him.

"This is only just the opening act."


	2. Out of Season Fireworks

**AN** : Oh hey, it's chapter two! I hope that everyone has been looking forward to it! And to those of you just joining me with this chapter, welcome, and thanks for reading. We're on the heels of getting an early pollen season here, but I am still here for you, working hard. As always, I love hearing your feedback, so don't hesitate to leave a review!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Chains of Iron**

 **Chapter Two**

 **Out of Season Fireworks**

* * *

"That's strange. Kazuha-chan's usually more prompt than this."

As she stared down at the cellphone in her hand, Mouri Ran couldn't help but frown. She was certain that she had sent her mail to the right address- she had used the one from her address book after all, so why was it that Kazuha had contacted her yet? If it was a phone call, it would be one thing, but she had sent her a text message, and there would have been no problem for her to send a reply even if she thought she was currently in class.

"Kazuha-chan? You mean that girl from Osaka?" Peering down at her longtime friend, Sonoko couldn't help but blink. She had been wondering why it was that she wasn't responding to her when she tried to call out to her from across the room, but it appeared that the cause was being lost in thought.

"Yeah, she's Hattori-kun's childhood friend." Ran told her, finally setting down her cellphone with a small sigh. "You remember, you've met her at least twice before. Back when Conan-kun was in the hospital, and back at the school play."

"And? What is it about this girl that has you so down today?" Sonoko asked, borrowing the seat in front of her, taking a seat in it backwards so that she could continue to talk to her friend face to face. "Usually when you stare at your cellphone with such a forlorn expression, it's Shinichi-kun you're thinking about. Unless you've decided to change your target?"

"It's not that!" With a slight flush of red to her cheeks, Ran quickly protested, almost not knowing what she was more embarrassed by. "Kazuha-chan has Hattori-kun anyways. I'm just wondering why she hasn't responded to the message I sent her during our last class break yet."

"Message?" Frowning a little, Sonoko quickly seemed to recall something. "Ah, now that you mention it, you said something about going to Osaka yesterday. Whatever happened to that? Weren't you supposed to go today?"

"That's what I thought, but I also thought that our holiday started today." Ran told her, giving her something of a sheepish grin. "So I made plans with her to come over there with Conan-kun starting tomorrow. But I gave it some thought since then, and wanted to see if it wouldn't be too much trouble if the two of us went over right after school lets out today."

"I see." Nodding her head, Sonoko folded her arms in front of her chest. "That brat's got a holiday of his own today, doesn't he? You could have always just let him go by himself."

"I can't do that!" Ran protested. "Conan-kun might be smart, but a child is still a child. Besides, he's always getting himself into trouble the second you take your eyes off of him, and it only gets worse when Hattori-kun is around. I'm not sure Kazuha-chan could handle both of them by herself."

"If you ask me, it sounds like Hattori-kun's more of the handful, considering he's our age." Sonoko noted, shrugging her shoulders. "At least that brat has being a child as an excuse."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Trailing off a little, Ran couldn't help but let out an awkward laugh. "Still, I wonder what's taking Kazuha-chan so long to reply."

"Maybe she doesn't have her phone on her? Since she has a day off, she might be watching a movie or something." Sonoko suggested, shrugging her shoulders. "If you're so worried about her, why don't you give her a call? We're on break now after all, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, I guess that's true." Ran said after a moment, picking her cellphone back up. "Ah, but if she really is watching a movie, won't I disturb her?"

"It's fine, it's fine. With one of those high school detective types around, I'm sure that she's used to being interrupted." Sonoko noted, a sly grin crossing her face. "Considering that you're pretty much married to one yourself, you would think that you of all people would understand that, Ran."

"Like I keep saying every time, that's not it!" Puffing out her cheeks, Ran brought up Kazuha's number, giving it a call. Placing her cellphone against her ear, she leaned back in her seat, casting a glance out the window as she waited for her friend to pick up. As the phone continued to ring, she found herself frowning- not because her friend wasn't answering, but what she could see outside of the school gates from here.

"Oh? Isn't that a patrol car?" Sonoko asked, her lips curling into a frown as she took note of it too. "I wonder why it's here. Do you think something happened, Ran?"

"I don't know." Shaking her head, Ran's frown only deepened as Kazuha's voicemail picked up her call instead. Sufficiently distracted by this new occurrence, instead of leaving a message, she found herself hanging up for the moment. If there really was something going on within her own school, this was no time to be leisurely planning a trip. "I didn't hear any sirens, so I don't think it's an emergency but..."

"Do you want to go see?" Sonoko asked, getting to her feet. "Maybe if there's something going on, you can call your husband and get him to help."

" _Like I said_ -!"

Anything else that she might have wanted to say was cut off by the sound of the door to the classroom opening. As their teacher turned in their direction, her face pale, her expression shaken, suddenly Ran couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong indeed.

"Mouri-san. There's an Inspector Megure here who needs to have a word with you." As the woman did her best to hold herself together, Ran felt a cold chill wash over her. "He says it's urgent."

* * *

"But it's really too bad, Kudo-kun. That you couldn't go to Osaka today like you had planned."

"When you say it, it doesn't sound sympathetic at all." There were no attempts to keep his tone from sounding dry, as Edogawa Conan turned a long look towards the one walking next to him. He had already parted ways with the rest of the Detective Boys for the day, leaving the two of them alone for the time being. "Or is there some reason that you didn't want me to go, Haibara?"

"No, of course not." Ai said simply, shaking her head. "I know how close you are to Hattori-kun. You must be quite depressed, missing a chance to see him."

"I'm not depressed." Conan grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Besides, Ran and I are still heading there tomorrow morning. It's not like we've missed a chance to see them."

"Is that so?" Ai asked, letting a hint of a smile cross her face. "Well, if you do see Hattori-kun, remind him that I'm only open to brand name bags as a method of negotiation."

"You know you can't even use those things with that body, right?" Conan asked, before heaving a long sigh. There was no arguing with her when it came to brand name products- honestly, not even Sonoko was that stubborn about them. "Fine, I'll tell him. But just so you know, I don't think asking Hattori to try and navigate the complicated world of brand named goods is that good of an idea."

"In that case, I can send him what he'll need to buy me in order to convince me to change my current ringtone myself." Ai noted simply, an amused look twinkling in her eyes. "You really shouldn't look at me with such an expression, Kudo-kun. After all, you're the one who sent me that recording of his confession in the first place."

"I didn't think you would start using it as your _ringtone_." Conan pointed out, quirking a brow. "I can't tell if you like Hattori, or if you have something against him."

"Well, not all of us can be as easy to read as Hattori-kun." Ai noted, taking a few steps forward, pausing to glance back at him. "He's an interesting person, your friend. If I hadn't seen that lab mouse for myself, even I might have trouble believing the idea that Apotoxin might really be capable of shrinking people, and yet he came to the conclusion that you had somehow turned back into a child all on his own."

"Now that you mention it..." Trailing off a little, Conan couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Well, I really didn't help matters much by trying to pull the Sleeping Kogoro act with him. But that guy's thought process can be a bit strange sometimes. Normally you wouldn't think of giving a child alcohol as a cold remedy."

"Well, you have him to thank for that, don't you? If he hadn't done something like that, you never would have been able to return to normal for the first time. And I never would have been able to begin to create an antidote." Ai noted, closing her eyes. "It's a bit funny how fate works sometimes."

"Oi, oi, don't tell me you're starting to believe in something as nonsensical as _fate_." Conan remarked, turning a rather long look her direction. "I thought you were a scientist."

"It's a turn of phrase." Ai said simply, the sound of a somewhat familiar ringtone catching her ears. "By the way, _mister great detective_ , your cellphone is ringing."

"Ah, you're right." Reaching into his back pocket, Conan pulled out his cellphone, a slight frown crossing his face. "From Ran? That's odd, she's supposed to be in class right now."

"What's wrong, Ran-neechan?" Placing the phone against his ear, Conan stepped back a bit, getting out of the way of anyone who wanted to get around him. Pressing his back up against the electronics storefront behind him, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Ai shrugged her shoulders, settling for watching what was playing out on the televisions just beside him. "I thought you were in class right now."

The sound of her voice alone was enough to shoot a bolt of panic through him.

"That's not important right now, Conan-kun. Where are you? When I went to check the usual park you play soccer at, you and the others weren't there."

"Eh? Where am I?" Frowning a little, Conan tried to remain in control of his breathing. He knew that tone Ran's voice had taken on, and it was more than enough to fill him with dread. "I'm heading back to the agency right now, with Haibara. I should be there in a few minutes."

"I see. You're heading home, then." Hearing the sound of her letting out a long sigh on the other end of the line, Conan's frown only deepened. "In that case, I'll meet you there in a few minutes. Is your bag for the trip still packed?"

"Yeah, it is." Conan said, nodding his head. This wasn't like her at all- something must have happened. "Is something wrong, Ran-neechan? You sound so serious."

The long pause on the other end of the line left him suspecting that he had been disconnected for a minute, before Ran finally spoke up again. "I'll tell you about it when I get to the agency, Conan-kun. But everything will be fine, alright? Everything will be fine."

Everything will be fine, she said- but it sounded more like she was trying to convince _herself_ of that, rather than him. Trying to keep what she thought was a child from panicking while trying to keep her own emotions in check- as he thought, something must have happened. But before he had a chance to question her more in depth, she apologized to him, and quickly hung up.

He didn't like this- he didn't like this one bit. Had something happened to her father? She mentioned the bag that he had packed for their trip to Osaka, so did the two of them need to go somewhere? As he was trying to rack his brain for what might be going on, he turned back towards Ai.

And for a brief moment, felt his heart cease beating in his chest.

"Oi, Haibara." He knew that expression on her face- that frozen expression of fear that she wore whenever something terrible had happened. For a moment, his gut reaction was to wonder if one their number was around- before he realized that her expression now wasn't quite the same as the one that she wore when _they_ were around. "Haibara, what's wrong?"

"See for yourself, Kudo-kun." Finally finding her voice, Ai slowly lifted a finger, pointing at the row of televisions in the storefront before her. There was no sound coming from them, but the scrolling news updates at the bottom of the screen were more than enough to paint a vivid picture of what was being discussed.

Doing as he was told, Conan turned his attention towards the news program that was playing out on the television. A breaking news bulletin, and one that caught his attention right away, sending a cold chill down his spine as he slowly began to understand why it was that Ran had sounded that way.

There had been a bombing incident. That was alarming enough in and of itself, but the location was what caught his attention right away, what had him truly feeling as if the earth had suddenly been pulled out from underneath him.

Osaka.

Logically, he knew that the odds of either Heiji or Kazuha, or one of their family members, being involved in the incident were fairly low. But he also knew that Ran wouldn't have called him in such a hurry, with that tone of voice, with that sort of behavior, if they hadn't somehow gotten mixed up in it.

If it were enough to pull her out of school early, then it had to be a serious situation. And for her to react in such a fashion... rather than one of their family members, it had to be one of the two who had gotten involved- or even worse- _both_.

"Go." Ai's voice snapping him back to reality. "You won't accomplish anything by standing here, gaping like a fish."

"Right." Slowly nodding his head, Conan swallowed back his anxieties. It was still too early to panic- he didn't have all the details yet, and there was a chance that Ran didn't have them either. Even if they had somehow gotten mixed up in the bombing, there was a chance that they might only be lightly injured.

It was easy for the logical half of his brain to tell him that, quickly acting to try and calm him. But it was floundering, the images of a half collapsed department store, and the sound of the badly suppressed panic in Ran's voice, haunting his mind whenever he tried to reassure himself that they were probably alright.

Still dimly aware that he hadn't yet put away his cellphone, Conan found himself punching in Heiji's number, as if by instinct. Even as he raced towards the agency, heart pounding in his chest all the while, he pressed the phone against his ear, the fear within him growing every time it rang, without anyone picking it up.

When Heiji's voicemail took the call instead of his friend, he couldn't even think of anything to say, listening to the sound of the beep from some distant place. There had always been a fear in the back of his mind that his friend might one day get mixed up in something dangerous- indeed, he actually already had. He knew better than anyone the risks that came with detective work, but he'd never imagined it could happen like this.

Not like this.

* * *

The only thing they knew was that Kazuha had been rushed to the hospital.

That was information that they had learned from Inspector Megure, who in turn quickly moved to pass it on down to them. Judging from the news broadcast, that Conan couldn't keep himself from fixating on for the entire train ride there, that information hadn't been made public yet- that the daughter of the head of the Osakan police's first division had gotten mixed up in the bombing incident that was on the verge of sending it into a panic.

The only thing keeping it from doing so was the chief of police- Hattori Heizo. But still, the atmosphere that they arrived to was nothing like the Osaka that they had experienced before- there was a tension to the air, thick with anxiety to the point that it was almost hard to breathe.

It wasn't a surprise. There were very few details available to the public just yet. If anyone had come forward to claim the bombing as their own work, to detail what their motive was, and if there were going to be any further attacks, that information had yet to be released. The only thing the public knew at the moment was the rising death toll, as more and more people were pulled from the wreckage, some just a little too late to be saved, others long beyond any hope.

Ran didn't want him to watch the footage. He couldn't blame her for that either.

It wasn't pretty.

"Don't let go of my hand, Conan-kun. It's probably going to be very packed when we go there." Even within the sternness of her tone, there was no mistaking the anxiety that had gripped Ran to her core. Even if he somehow missed it, the tight way that she clutched his hand, almost as if she was the one who needed the support of it's small fingers wrapped in her own, delivered the message loud and clear.

They only knew that Kazuha had been brought to the hospital, and where that hospital was. They didn't know her current condition, not even if she were alive or dead. There was no word at all about Heiji, at least not that Inspector Megure knew- other than that he was supposed to be with her at the time. They would come to learn later that the one who passed the information on to him was Inspector Otaki, but who the source was, wasn't even something that was on either of their minds at the moment.

They just wanted answers. For good or for ill.

"I won't let go." Turning his gaze up towards her, Conan couldn't help but wish that it wasn't the small hand of a child she was grasping now, but the firm hand of her childhood friend. There would be comfort that he could provide her as Kudo Shinichi, that he just couldn't as Edogawa Conan. Rather, it was Ran who felt she had a duty to comfort and protect him as much as possible- and as a result, she was trying to swallow back her own fears, to push forward in the face of them.

She was strong- but not that strong. With the possibility that someone that she had come to consider a dear friend to her could be in grave condition, if not actually already in the grave, she was feeling it's weight.

"Good." Nodding her head, Ran forced a small smile onto her face, before she drew in a deep breath. Even from the outside, she could tell that the hospital was in a state of chaos. Asking a nurse or a doctor where to find their friends might be out of the question, since no doubt everyone was quite busy at the moment. "Let's go, Conan-kun. Follow my lead."

Her grip on his hand was so tight that he could feel his fingers throb- but he wasn't about to complain. Instead, he followed her into the hospital, sticking close to her so as to not get in anyone's way. He hadn't seen a hospital this packed since the Mizunashi Rena incident- but it was clear that this was far more serious than that. The sounds alone were indicative enough of that.

The wailing of children, and the voices of parents who couldn't manage to calm them down, many seeming to want to wail themselves. Choked sobs and unabashed crying- and they both had to hurriedly move out of the way of an emergency crew rushing a badly burned man in behind them, his cries of pain momentarily drowning out any of the other noises in the room.

In the middle of it all, they spotted a familiar face- though not the one they were hoping to find. Still, it was a face that they knew, and someone who might be able to give them further answers than they already had. Weaving their way through the crowd, they made their way towards the scarred officer that they had come to know during their multiple visits to Osaka, someone that they knew Heiji and Kazuha had known probably forever.

"Otaki-san!"

"Ah, Ran-san. You made it." At the sound of her voice, Otaki paused his conversation, turning to face her. There was a grave expression on his face, his eyes haunted by the events that had unfolded- events that had hit close, too close. There was no need for a deduction there, that much was painfully obvious.

"We came as quickly as we could." Ran told him, nodding her head. "It's going to take dad a little while longer to get out here, since he's visiting a friend right now, but I did call him to let him know. More importantly, how is she?"

Glancing back towards the man he had been speaking with, who they now realized was likely some kind of doctor, Otaki could only shake his head. "Kazuha-chan's still in surgery right now." He told them. "I'm afraid that we can't know anything further until they're done. The rescue workers who pulled her from the wreckage said she was lucky though- if she hadn't been where she was when they found her, she probably wouldn't have made it."

They weren't the words of reassurance that they wanted to hear, but they were enough to take some of the burden off of them. Exhaling, Ran's shoulders slumped, her grip on Conan's hand growing lighter.

"What about Hattori?" For a moment forgetting himself, Conan found the familiar way he addressed his friend in private roll off of his lips. Still dimly aware of his own position in spite of everything, he quickly moved to correct himself, though he doubted anyone would notice under these circumstances. " _Heiji-niichan._ "

"He's waiting for Kazuha-chan to get out of surgery right now, with her parents and his mother." Otaki told them, a grim expression on his face. "Apparently he was outside of the department store when the bombs went off, waiting for her to come out. He's sustained injuries of his own, but he's refusing to let anyone treat him until we have further word on Kazuha-chan's condition."

Those words too, brought with them an uneasy sense of relief. Given that they had no news about him at all, just knowing that he was alive, and apparently well enough to be on his feet, was a huge relief.

"Can we see them?" Ran asked, taking half a step forward. "I'm worried about Kazuha-chan."

"Of course. Hei-chan told me to wait out here in case the two of you showed up." Otaki told him, managing to work a hint of a smile onto his face. "I'll show you the way."

* * *

Usually when they saw each other, something in Heiji's face would light up, as if he were reuniting with an old friend, rather than someone he had only met six months ago. That bright smile could light up a room, though his best ones were reserved for the one that he had actually known forever.

There were no smiles today. In fact, he barely even stirred as they greeted him, as if he were in a distant place where he couldn't hear their words. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, on the glowing red sign that indicated the surgery was still in progress. If it weren't for the fact that he was breathing, it might have been easy to mistake him for a statue- he was that still.

It was downright eerie. A Hattori Heiji that he had never known before. As if he was contemplating something beyond his imagination.

Still, when he did finally acknowledge them, something of a faint smile graced his lips- a far cry from it's usual power. No one could blame him.

Otaki had been correct- in spite of not being in the building himself at the time of the explosions, he hadn't exactly made it out unscathed. It was hard to make out with the dark color of his hair, but there was dried blood clinging to the back of his head, cuts from glass and shrapnel that had exploded outwards on his face and chest. But that wasn't what was making his mother hover so close to his side, not giving him his space in spite of his silent message that he wanted it.

It was his hands and arms that were in the worst shape. The burns were light, nothing in comparison to the man who had been rushed in as they entered. It was as if the flames had merely nipped at him, leaving traces wherever they touched- but even light burns were something to worry about, and were doubtless painful.

If he was in any pain, he wasn't showing any signs of it. It felt as if part of him wasn't really there, but was somewhere else- though where that might be, Conan couldn't even begin to guess. Even in his faint smile, there was something distant, as he finally returned their greeting.

"We came as soon as we could, Hattori-kun." Ran was the one who spoke first, sucking in her breath. There were words dancing just on the edge of her lips, as if she wanted to chide him for not seeing a doctor for his own injuries- but she couldn't bring herself to say them. If there was one thing that she had come to understand about Heiji, it was how stubborn he could be- and that when he decided on something, it was very hard to change his mind. It was both a good thing and a bad thing- and in this instance, she couldn't help but feel it was a bad thing.

"Thanks, Neechan. I'm sure Kazuha'd be glad ta hear it." Heiji told her, his gaze flickering back towards the doors that were still shut tight, glowing sign above indicating that this was far from over. Even from here, they could still make out the sounds of the barely controlled chaos that was the rest of the hospital. They would likely be kept busy well into the night, and even into the next day.

"Heiji-niichan." It was in times like these, that he couldn't help but wish that he could be as he should, so that he could address him freely in the way that the wanted to. But even in times like these, he had to keep up the act, pretending that he was nothing more than a first grade student. It ate away at him, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about his own problems, when one far more immediate loomed in front of him. "How are you holding up?"

"M'not dead." Heiji muttered, his words barely audible. Ignoring the burns that singed his hands, he tucked them into his pockets, fixing his gaze fully back on the doors of the operating room. "So there's that, I guess."

"I'm sure she'll be alright, Hattori-kun." Ran told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. What should she even say to him in a situation like this? She knew what she would want to hear, if something like this had happened to Shinichi, but just because she knew what she would want someone to say, didn't mean it was the right thing to say to him. "Kazuha-chan's tough."

There was a long bout of silence, one that seemed far longer than it actually was due to how unusual it was for him. When he finally spoke, his words were welcome. "...I suppose that's true."

"That's right!" Conan chimed in, carefully letting go of Ran's hand, and making his way to Heiji's side, staring up at him with an expression of concern that didn't fit his childlike face. "Otaki-san told us about it, Heiji-niichan. That they said Kazuha-chan was lucky."

"If she was really lucky, she wouldn't have been in there in the first place." His words were curt, and punctuated with anger- but not anger that was directed at the one he was speaking to. His hands balling together into fists within his pockets, Heiji gritted his teeth. "It's my fault."

"I'm sure that's not true, Hattori-kun!" Shaking her head, Ran's words escaped her almost no sooner than Heiji's had left him. "Don't say something like that!"

For a moment, it almost looked as if there was something that he wanted to say in response to that- but whatever it was, he swallowed it down, closing his eyes. Drawing in a deep breath, Heiji unclenched his fists, withdrawing them from his pockets, casting a strained smile towards Ran. "...Maybe if she didn't hang around with someone like me all the time, then my bad luck wouldn't have rubbed off on her."

"Hattori-kun-" Opening up her mouth to protest again, Ran cut herself off, feeling a small hand tugging on her own. Glancing down, she met eyes with Conan, and watched as he shook his head, telling her that it would be for the best if they just let him be for the moment.

Nothing that they said right now would be able to console him. There was a deep wound that had been inflicted in his heart, and as if by instinct, he knew that it was from more than just the tragic out of season fireworks that had shaken the city to it's core. What that something more was, he couldn't even begin to say- but he was sure when the time came that they could all breathe a bit easier, he would tell him about it.

There was no need to press him, not now. He was a detective, but right now, his role wasn't to solve the case that had just happened- his role was to stay here, by the side of someone he had come to value as a friend, and wait for any news, be it good or bad. As much as he wanted to press Heiji for details about what had happened, as much as he wanted to rush headlong into investigating the case, that was something that he couldn't, and shouldn't, do right now.

If even the west's own high school detective wasn't chasing the truth right now, then there was no place for the east's to do so. He would wait, holding his breath, for something to happen.

Something good would be vastly preferable.

* * *

Four hours after multiple explosions had destroyed an Osakan department store, they came to know two more pieces of information.

The first, and one that sent a chill down their spines, was that this was far from over. The group claiming responsibility for the attacks had not given their name, nor had they said anything about their motives- but they had made one thing very clear- that this was not going to be an isolated incident, and that there was more to come.

It was news that Heiji took in while barely even blinking, as if it were something that he had already known. To be certain, it was something that the police had been suspecting to be the case- they had gathered that much from Kazuha's father. But rather than just suspecting, it almost seemed as if Heiji knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this wouldn't be the end.

That this was only just the beginning.

The second piece of news was better, though not by much. Kazuha had pulled through surgery, but while her condition was a bit more stable than before, and her life was out of immediate danger, there was no telling how the future would turn out. She was still listed as being in critical condition, and was closely being monitored by doctors and medical devices alike. Still, for what it was, it provided them with some small degree of relief- the long wait for news was finally over.

With that, a few things changed. Though it was clear that he didn't want to depart, Kazuha's father had very little choice in the matter- as the head of division one, he was going to be needed now more than ever during this crisis. He had whispered his goodbyes to his wife, and promised Shizuka and Heiji alike that he would come if there was any further news, as soon as he could.

He had lingered for a moment, while speaking to Heiji, as if he could sense something from the boy he had known almost as long as his own daughter, that neither Conan nor Ran could. He could think of nothing to say, and merely settled for patting him on the shoulder, telling him to take care of himself, his gaze dropping to Heiji's own burns as he spoke.

When one of the doctors who had been treating Kazuha came to check up on him, Heiji had instead directed them away, muttering underneath his breath that he was fine. There were patients here a lot worse off than him, so he should go and deal with them first, before worrying about someone who hadn't been hurt that badly. The doctor wanted to protest, but Heiji had glared him into submission, forcing him to back off.

With Kazuha secure in a hospital room, Heiji excused himself. Really, Conan had wanted to follow after him right away, but he was stopped by Ran, who told him that Heiji still clearly needed his own space right now. It took him quite awhile before he could escape from her, not until she was deeply involved in a conversation with Heiji's mother. Though he barely knew the layout of the hospital at all, it wasn't hard to guess the places that Heiji might have gone.

If he wanted to find somewhere quiet, in the middle of all the noise, the most likely place was the roof. Sure enough, that was where he found him, catching him just as he hung up his phone, swears hanging silently off of his lips as he caught his friend out of the corner of his eye.

"Kudo."

"Hattori." That name was surely better, he thought to himself, as he took a few steps forward, casting a serious look up towards him. "What happened?"

"What do ya mean, _what happened_? A building blew up, with Kazuha inside, that's what happened." For a moment, there was a flash of anger brewing inside of him- before he bit it back, swallowing it down. He knew full well why he was being asked that, and instead let out a long sigh, tucking away his cellphone into his jacket pocket. It was in tatters from the flames that it had been exposed to, but he probably hadn't even thought about taking it off.

If Conan had to be honest, Heiji looked like a wreck- and probably felt like one too. He had been able to gather from his mother, as well as from Otaki, that Heiji had tried to go into the building after Kazuha himself, even as it was still collapsing around him. He had to be dragged out by force by one of the first responders, and refused to even leave the scene until they had found Kazuha.

Since he looked half near ready to fight anyone who tired to protest this, he'd been left alone, to do as he pleased, so long as he didn't try and enter the department store himself again. That was where the burns had come from- and why they were the worst on his hands, Conan assumed.

He must have been in pain, he decided, but was ignoring it. If he didn't know it would have the exact opposite effect, he would take his hand in his own, and drag him down by force to have them looked at. If he let him be, then in due time, Heiji would calm down and allow himself to be treated properly- he was just stubborn.

"...I don't know what happened, Kudo." Heiji told him finally, narrowing his eyes as he spoke. "Just that it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Hattori." Narrowing his eyes, Conan couldn't help but frown. "You were the one who said it was Kazuha-chan who wanted to go to the department store this morning."

"So yer sayin' it's _Kazuha's_ fault, then?" The glare that Heiji shot at him was enough to send a chill down his spine for a second. That had most obviously been the worst possible thing to say.

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say at all!" Conan protested, running a hand through his hair and heaving a long sigh. He wasn't good at this sort of thing- especially not when he was going up against someone with Heiji's personality. "I'm just- you can't blame yourself for something like this, Hattori."

"I should have been able ta tell. Should've been able ta tell that somethin' was wrong." As he told him that, Heiji turned on his heel, facing away from him. "An' I _did_ , even, but I ignored it. Look how that turned out fer me now."

"Hattori, that's-" Conan began, biting back an instinctive response that it still wasn't his fault. He of all people, knew the kind of burden that sort of thing placed on one's shoulders- it sounded like such a good thing to say on paper, but in reality, they were words that stung like no other. "...You're only human."

"Infinitely aware of that, Kudo."

"Hattori-" Conan began again, before he cut himself off, realizing that he didn't actually know what to say. Usually the two of them were so in sync, but that couldn't be less true at the moment. "You really should let one of the doctors treat you."

"Ya sound like my mom." Heiji couldn't help but note, finally turning back around to face him. Though there was a hint of a grin on his face, it felt as if it were almost there just for show. "I'll have 'em look at me when things calm down a bit around here. It's not bad. Just a little itchy."

Heaving a long sigh, Conan felt his shoulders slump. He had been right earlier- nothing that he could say was going to get through to him- and it still felt like there was something that he hadn't told him yet about this. There were a million questions that he wanted to ask, a million things he wanted to do- but instead of any of that, what came out was-

"Don't itch them."

"Now ya really _do_ sound like my mom." Heiji couldn't help but quip, and for a brief moment, a shadow of his usual grin appeared. "I won't. I'm not an idiot, after all."

"People have protested to that before." Conan couldn't help but say, almost half regretting the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. Even with Kazuha being so freely brought up, Heiji's expression didn't shift, and for a moment, Conan found himself letting out a breath of relief. "You know you can rely on me, right?"

"I know." Pausing to bend over in front of him, Heiji ruffled his hair. The unreadable nature of his expression didn't exactly comfort Conan- but at least he was acting a bit like he usually did. "I know that, Kudo."

Pulling his hand away from his friend's head, he took a few steps forward, lingering just in the doorway. He knew that. Of course he knew that.

"Kudo?"

"What is it, Hattori?" Turning around to look at him, half wishing that Heiji would do very much the same- he wanted to see his face, not his back, which told him nothing.

"...Sorry."

It was a strange choice of words. Usually in that situation, what one would normally say was some form of thanks- not an apology. It was something that he had certainly thought about- but it hadn't been something that he had dwelled on overmuch.

If he'd stopped him then, maybe things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. But there was a saying about hindsight, and one about foresight to match- and it would seem that it wasn't a saying that even a great detective could truly escape from.


	3. Ticking Time Bomb

**AN** : Anyways, thanks so much for the burst of feedback guys! I really appreciate it- as an autistic woman who struggles to self-motivate herself in large part due to executive dysfunction it's no lie to say that reviews really are critical in keeping my motivation levels up- otherwise they tend to plummet like a plane that's run out of gas.

I'm happy to say that there will be a next time, so until next time!

* * *

 **Chains of Iron**

 **Chapter Three**

 **Ticking Time Bomb**

* * *

The passing of midnight was marked only by the sound of the clock, and the soft, steady beeping of Kazuha's heart monitor. Though the noise of the hospital had calmed down considerably from earlier, it didn't reach the isolated hospital room.

It wasn't that anyone had fallen asleep- aside from the one who had been sleeping since she had arrived here. Only the steady sound of her breathing put those sharing the room with her at ease, though not much- it was impossible to say when she might wake up. Though nobody wanted to think about it, the possibility that the answer might be never was present in everyone's minds.

Perhaps in no one's mind more so than that of her childhood friend.

Hattori Heiji, however, was not in the room with them at the moment. Perhaps he simply couldn't bare it, not when he held himself responsible for what had happened to her. Perhaps he just couldn't take the weight of the worry that was being directed towards him in turn. Whatever the case, he'd been making himself rather scarce these past few hours, the usually boisterous and cheerful Osakan keeping to himself.

No one could really blame him, but it did nothing to help with their own worries for him. At the very least, he had finally relented, and allowed a doctor to treat his injuries. With his minor burns now cleaned and bandaged up, alongside his cuts and bruises, his head checked to make sure that the blow he'd taken to the back of it wasn't anything serious, he looked to be slightly less of a wreck than he was when they had first arrived here.

Even so, he still didn't quite feel like the person that they had come to know. Perhaps it was simply in the way that he was keeping himself distant, and nothing more than that. Or perhaps it was something more.

Conan had hoped that speaking with him might have helped lift some of the burden off of his shoulders- but it would appear that his words didn't have the desired effect on him. To a degree, he felt as if he could understand- there were plenty of things that weighed heavily on him, that he knew that others would be quick to tell him weren't his fault. The situation that Heiji had found himself in now was no different from those, he thought.

And yet, even so, something about that didn't seem quite right. As if there was still a part of the story that had gone untold.

As if sensing the worries of her young ward, Ran excused herself from the hospital room. She had tried to keep Conan from chasing after Heiji before, but she knew that the moment she had stopped paying attention to him, he had probably sought his friend out anyways. Whatever words they had exchanged didn't seem to help Heiji any- it was obvious to anyone that he was in a rather dark place at the moment.

For Conan's sake, as well as Kazuha's sake, this wasn't something that she could just sit by idly and watch happen. And for her _own_ sake as well- perhaps they weren't as close as she and Kazuha were, but she considered Heiji to be a friend, nevertheless. She couldn't stand seeing him like this- when she actually got the chance to see him, that was.

"Hattori-kun?" With a trace of a smile on her face, Ran carefully held out the canned coffee she had bought from the nearby vending machine. When was the last time Heiji had something to eat? Something to drink? She didn't know, but she got the feeling that it had been far too long already. "Here. This is for you."

For a moment, he didn't even acknowledge her- before he slowly turned her way. As she thought, this kind of expression didn't suit him at all- while she didn't expect him to be smiling in a situation like this, anything would be better than that distant look. "It's fine, Neechan. I don't need it."

"Yes you do!" Ran insisted, thrusting the canned coffee more towards him. "I don't think you've had anything to eat since you've gotten here. At the very least, put something in your stomach, Hattori-kun."

"What is it with people an' soundin' like my mom today?" Heiji muttered, half to himself- but Ran didn't really mind the show of grumpiness. At least it was a reaction. "But thanks, I guess. I'll pay ya back later."

"You don't need to, not for something like canned coffee." Ran told her, smiling a little as he took the can from her. Watching as he pulled open the tab, and took a long drink from it, she hoped that it would do him at least a little good. Nobody could think straight on an empty stomach, after all. "You're worried about Kazuha-chan, aren't you?"

"Who isn't?" There was something sharper to his tone there than he desired, and though she recognized this, Ran didn't flinch at it, instead taking a seat next to him. "She's tough, like ya said, but this... she's never been involved in somethin' like this before. I don't like seein' her like that."

"I'm sure she would feel the same way if she were in your shoes right now." Ran told him, cracking open the can of coffee that she had bought for herself, taking a small sip from it. "She'll pull through this, Hattori-kun. You have to have faith."

"M'not good at faith." Heiji muttered, casting his eyes down towards the floor. "That's more of Kazuha's thing."

"I suppose that's true." Ran admitted after a moment. "Both the rescue workers and the doctors said that she got lucky though. There's hope in that, isn't there?"

" _Lucky_." Casting a brief glance her way, for a moment, Heiji's eyes narrowed sharply- before he drew in a breath, pulling his temper back in with it. Ran- like everyone else, really- was only just trying to help. He couldn't get mad at her for something like this. Not when she didn't know.

He remained silent for a moment longer, as if thinking of what to say next. Considering what would happen after this... perhaps it would be the best if he left Kudo with a clue to follow. They were friends, after all- he owed him that much, if nothing else. Normally, he'd be more than happy to accept his help on this case. With the two of them working together, they could accomplish anything- that was what he had come to believe.

That was what he had come to believe, but...

 _"You did me quite the favor in the past, so you can consider this a little present from me to you."_

Every minute he spent here, he couldn't help but worry that he was drawing everyone here closer to disaster. If the culprit's main target was him, if this case was somehow connected to him, then he couldn't be here. Even though he knew that, he still found it hard to leave. With Kazuha in that state, he didn't want to leave her side at all.

There was something more besides that- another reason why he didn't want to involve Kudo this time. It was also the same reason why he wouldn't go without leaving him anything- if it was _that guy_ , maybe he really could do something about it, even on his own. Even without him there.

"Maybe yer right, Neechan." Rising to his feet, Heiji closed his eyes, trying to gather himself a little. If he kept acting like this, he would only worry everyone even more- although in the end, he supposed that causing them worry was inevitable. "After all, she managed ta find it. Her lucky charm. Maybe that thing really has some power in it after all. Ah, don't tell her I said that though. She'd never shut up about it."

"Her lucky charm?" Ran blinked, glancing up towards him, a note of confusion in her voice. She knew what he meant, of course, but... "Did she lose it?"

"Somethin' like that." Heiji told her, pausing for a moment to finish off the can of coffee, tossing it in the nearby garbage bin. "That's why she went back inside in the first place, ta go look fer it, while I waited fer her. If it had never gone missin' in the first place, this would have never had happened ta her."

"Well, the past is the past. Since I can't turn back time, there's nothin' I can do about it now. All I can do is move forward." Heiji said simply, cutting off any further comment from Ran. "Thanks fer the coffee, Neechan. It helped."

* * *

"Sorry, but could I have some time alone with Kazuha?"

It was almost amazing how easily those words had cleared out the room. Even Kazuha's own mother had gone without a fuss, merely stopping to give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze on the way out. He wished that she hadn't- he didn't deserve any of her sympathy right now.

Not when it was because of him that her daughter was in this state, fighting for her life. If there was anything he deserved, it was her scorn, her resentment.

Once he was certain that they had left, Heiji let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping. No doubt they were all worriedly lingering a few doors down, discussing in hushed tones what they should do- both in regards to Kazuha, and in regards to _him_. He wasn't used to people walking on tiptoes around him, treating him as something delicate, and he quickly decided that it wasn't something that he cared for all that much.

It wasn't as if it would matter for much longer though, so he would just put up with it for now. He had already made up his mind, and it was doubtful that anything would change it. The only person who _could_ stop him currently lay unresponsive in a bed, like a sleeping princess that he knew he wouldn't be able to awaken.

He wasn't a prince, and this wasn't a fairytale.

But he'd come here to see Kazuha, properly. It was difficult being in the room with her when everyone else was- but if he was by himself, then he felt as if he could face her. Even so, as he approached her bedside, it was all he could do for a long moment to just watch her. Watching as her chest rose and fell, her breath fogging up the oxygen mask on her face, he wondered if she was aware of anything that was going on around her, if she knew. He couldn't tell- he wasn't a doctor, after all.

"Ya had better wake up, Kazuha." Keeping his voice low, Heiji carefully reached out a hand, brushing a stray hair out from her face. She didn't respond to his touch at all, but simply continued to sleep. Normally she would lightly swat his hand away, mumbling a complaint about him being bothersome. "If ya don't wake up, I might just go out an' do somethin' stupid. Ya kind of make up most of my impulse control, in case ya haven't noticed."

There was no response, but he wasn't expecting one anyways.

"I'm sure ya have, though. I'm the only one here who doesn't notice things, it seems." Pulling his hand away from her face, Heiji wondered why it had taken him so long to realize exactly how beautiful she was. It seemed like the most obvious thing in the world now, but up until that time on Ebisu Bridge, he had never been aware of it at all. Perhaps it was simply just because he saw her every day that it had never really struck him.

Perhaps it was just because he really _was_ an idiot after all.

Taking in and letting out a long breath, Heiji reached into his pocket, carefully removing what he had tucked away in there. He had been holding on to it since they boarded the ambulance, since he didn't want to be lost anywhere in the fuss, but it was high time that he returned it to her. Although it had gotten a bit singed, it was still mostly in one piece- she had been clutching it so tightly that there was no way she could have lost it again. As the department store collapsed around her, she must have held her charm fast, tight between her hands, praying to whatever might be listening that she would make it out alive.

"It's good that ya managed ta find it, Kazuha, before all hell broke loose. Maybe there's really a bit of power ta the little thing after all." Gently taking one of her hands, he nestled the charm within it, a hint of a smile crossing his face in spite of himself. For a moment, a brief moment, an edge of softness brushed against him- but it too, was distant. "Of course, I'll never admit as much ta ya when yer awake, so ya can forget about that. I've got my pride ta keep."

At this point, he would usually expect a sharp tongued comment right back from her- but she was in no condition to do so right now. All he could do was have faith that she would wake up soon, that she would pull through this- though what he had told Ran before was true. Faith really was more of Kazuha's thing.

Still, he could at least try.

And while he was trying to do that, he could do the one thing that he did really excel at- the one thing that would bring him some comfort, however cold it might be. Casting a glance back towards the door, Heiji paused for a moment, wondering if this was really for the best. It was a brief moment of doubt, but not one that was enough to overturn the decision that he had already come to, as foolish as it was.

Reaching into his pocket, Heiji pulled out his cellphone. Right now, it was his only link to the bastard that did this- so he couldn't afford to leave it behind. He had tried contacting Kazuha's phone by using one of the payphones in the lobby, but he hadn't been able to get through to it. When he'd called using his own number, however, the voice on the other end of the line was more than happy to mock him.

From that, at the very least, he had learned that they didn't currently know if Kazuha was alive or dead- and it was best that it was kept that way. As long as her condition was left in the dark, there was no chance that they would attempt to come after her again, once they realized that they hadn't been able to finish the job. He couldn't have that.

Such thoughts caused his gaze to drift towards the charm that dangled off of his cellphone, one of a matching pair. Carefully, he removed it, for a moment only holding it in his hand, drawing in his breath, tightening his grip on it as he did so. The charm had protected Kudo once, and proved his innocence another time- though ironically, it had never really done anything for him, at least not so far as he could tell.

Slowly letting out his breath, Heiji felt his grip on the charm grow slack. Right now, he wasn't the one who needed this. He couldn't bring it with him, feeling the way he was now- he didn't want to taint something so precious to Kazuha. For the moment, he would pass it on to the one who needed it far more than he- the one who was fighting the toughest battle of her life.

Naturally so, since the battle was _for_ her life.

Carefully, he placed it in her hand, right above her own charm. He wasn't someone who was known for being gentle, but he took great care as he closed her fingers around them. The girl that he had grown up with, the girl that he had fallen in love with at some point along the line- she wasn't supposed to be in such a state. Perhaps if she had never known him, perhaps if he had never known her, perhaps if he'd never become a detective, something like this would have never happened. But it was too late for such thoughts.

All he could do was move forward.

Slipping his hand away from that of Kazuha's, he turned his attention back towards his cellphone. He didn't know how much the police had learned about the bombing yet, other than what the public already knew. He had caught Otaki and Kazuha's father discussing it in hushed tones while they were still here, but once they had noticed he was listening in, they had taken the conversation elsewhere.

No doubt that his father had already given orders that he was to be kept out of the investigation. He'd probably told them that he was too close to the heart of it, that he wouldn't be able to think straight, wouldn't be able to make sound judgements, and would only likely get himself in even more danger. All the more so if his father had any idea that the culprit had likely picked their first target because of him.

They weren't wrong, of course. He wasn't thinking straight. He knew that. He knew that, but even so, he had already made up his mind. Perhaps the rest of the targets would have nothing to do with him, perhaps only the first would- or perhaps not. Either way, he couldn't just sit around and wait to find out, not when he himself was a ticking time bomb. He couldn't just sit around and wait for those around him to solve the case.

He had to do something about it himself, or else he would never be able to forgive himself. He had to finish this himself- to find the one who was responsible for it. The culprit had a grudge against him- that much was crystal clear. The last thing he wanted was to get anyone else targeted because of it- least of all Kudo, or even Ran.

"Sorry, Kazuha." The words slipped out, before he knew he had said them. "I might not be here when ya wake up, but I'll come an' see ya as soon as I can when ya do. _If_ I can."

"If ya can hear me even a little, however things turn out, know that they aren't yer fault." Tucking his cellphone back away, Heiji's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer. "I'm the one who made this decision, an' however it ends up, I'll take responsibility fer it myself."

"An' if ya can hear me, even a little," since he couldn't kiss her lips, Heiji instead settled for her forehead, planting a light kiss on top of it, "...I love ya. Should have said it a long time ago, but I'm head over heels fer ya, ya damn _idiot_."

* * *

The first time he saw Hattori Heizo upon arriving here, it was on the other side of a television screen.

Some might think it heartless of him, to have not paid a visit to either his son, nor to Kazuha- but no matter how personally the attack had effected him, he wasn't in a position where he could simply leave. It wasn't as if he didn't care- even on his stoic face, Conan could make out an edge that hadn't been there when he had met him before. As he spoke of those who had been wounded in the attack, there was note, however subtle, of distinct concern. He would doubtlessly come once he was able, but for the moment, the investigation needed him.

The people of Osaka needed him as well. Even within the confines of the hospital, he had sensed it- that there was a sense of confidence amongst the people there that with a man like Heizo in charge, those behind the attacks would be captured in no time. Things would doubtlessly change if another attack of the same caliber occurred again, but with the city on guard against another such attack, it would be harder for the culprits to pull it off.

Harder, but not impossible.

Especially when they didn't yet know their objective. Would they target another department store? If so, which one? Or would they target some other place? The fact that they had attacked on a Friday, in the middle of the day was almost a blessing in disguise- if they had struck on a Sunday, the death toll likely would have been much higher. It was high enough already- but for Conan, even one death was too many, nevermind twenty-five of them. And with countless others seriously injured and missing, it was very likely that the number would rise in the coming days.

 _Twenty-six_ , Conan mentally corrected himself. He'd overheard some nurses speaking to each other on his way down here- the death toll was at twenty-six now. Briefly, his thoughts flickered back to the heavily burned man who had been wheeled in just as they had arrived there, and wondered if it was perhaps him.

It could have been worse- but it was bad enough as it was already. One of the victims had only just been a child, burned so badly that they were beyond recognition.

The fact that they had chosen a Friday to plant to bombs was something that stuck out to him, and had been doing so for awhile now. He was almost certain it was prominent in Heizo's mind- as well as that of his son. Even in that state, he was almost certain that there was a part of Heiji that was still pouring over the facts as he knew them, trying to untangle the case that had unfolded in front of his very eyes.

For the moment, it appeared as if they were keeping the fact that both Heizo's son, and the daughter of division one's head supervisor had been involved in the bombing under wraps. That was for the best, really- the last thing anyone needed in this situation was for reporters to bomb them with questions. Should one of them press Heiji too far, pushed him to the point where his temper broke... he didn't even want to imagine what might happen after that.

Only that he would be rather hard pressed to blame him for anything that he might do afterwards.

"Conan-kun!"

Glancing up at the sound of Ran's voice, Conan turned her way. Pulling his attention away from the press conference, he made his way over towards Ran's side, peering up at her. There was something to her expression that he didn't quite like- and the way she kept glancing around the room bothered him. "What is it, Ran-neechan? Did Heiji-niichan come back out yet? He's sure taking awhile."

"Ah, actually..." Trailing off a little, Ran glanced around the lobby, a frown on her face. "When we went to check on them, we couldn't find Hattori-kun anywhere."

"Didn't he just wander off somewhere again?" Conan asked, a slight frown surfacing on his face now at the news. "He might be on the roof, or by the vending area."

"Of course, we checked those places." Ran told him, letting out a slight sigh as she didn't spot the person that she was looking for anywhere around in the lobby. "But we couldn't find him there. I tried calling him, but his phone wasn't on."

"Calling him?" Conan blinked. It wasn't just his imagination- there seemed to be something wrong here. "Why? Heiji-niichan's been isolating himself a lot today, after all. He might just want a bit more time alone."

"About that..." Kneeling down in front of Conan, Ran wondered how she could phrase this without causing him to worry. Conan was a mature child, and strong with it, but he was still a child, and he knew that Heiji was someone that he looked up to quite a bit. "You know the pair charms that Kazuha-chan made for them, right?"

"Of course." With a firm nod of his head, Conan felt a knot tangle in his stomach. The strange way that Heiji had been behaving back on the rooftop, that strange thing he said when they parted ways there suddenly floated back into his mind. "What about them, Ran-neechan?"

There was one other thing from that time that suddenly popped back into his head- exactly who was it that Heiji had been talking on the phone with at that time? Judging from the expression on his face, he clearly hadn't been happy with whoever it was, but he hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Suddenly, he was starting to regret that.

"When we checked the room, we noticed that Kazuha-chan seemed to be holding something that she wasn't before." Ran told him. "Of course, she hasn't woken up yet, so Hattori-kun must have put it there himself. For a moment, we thought that maybe it was her own charm, but when I checked, it turned out that there were two there, not one."

"Two?" Quickly realizing what that meant, Conan fought to contain the cold chill rising up his spine. Although he complained about it often enough, it was clear that the charm was something that Heiji actually treasured- so to hear that he had left it behind like that was more than a little troubling. "You mean he left his behind with her?"

"Yeah." Ran told him, nodding her head. "That's why we've been looking for him. He hasn't come by this way, has he?"

"No, I don't think so." Conan told her, shaking his head. "But I was mostly paying attention to the television, so I can't really say for sure if he came through this way or not. Is there anything else?"

"Anything else?" Ran frowned, placing a hand on her chin in thought. Suddenly, Conan sounded more worried than she did. "Now that you mention it, when I spoke with him earlier, Hattori-kun told me that the reason that Kazuha-chan returned to the department store in the first place was because she had lost hers."

Something about that struck him almost right away- though at that moment, he didn't quite understand why.

"She lost it?" Conan blinked. Something clicked in his head, as he remembered what it was that Kazuha used her charm as. With that piece of information, he felt as if he was nearing the reason why it stuck out to him so much, and vaguely, he got the feeling that he wasn't going to like what he uncovered. "Doesn't that mean what she really lost was her cellphone?"

"Now that you mention it, I suppose that's right." Ran told him, nodding her head. "But that's strange. From what I heard her mother tell me, she only had her charm on her when she was found, not her cellphone. Since I was able to connect when I called her earlier, it must still be in working order."

"When was this?" Conan asked.

"Right before Inspector Megure came to school to inform me about what had happened." Ran recalled. "While I was still at school. I tried calling her to ask why she hadn't replied to any of my mails yet, since I wanted to discuss plans with her for our visit here, but she didn't pick up, and it just went to her voicemail instead."

"Did you leave a message?" Conan asked, wondering if perhaps his tone was a bit too insistent, watching the way that Ran blinked at his question.

"No, I didn't." Ran told him. "I was going to, but I was distracted by the patrol car outside, so I just hung up without saying anything."

For some reason, he felt a hint of relief wash through him at her words- and it was that very relief that served to throw things in perspective for him.

Kazuha's missing cellphone. Heiji's phone call on the roof. His insistence that it was _his_ fault that Kazuha had gotten mixed up in the bombing. The way he had apologized to him before. When he thought about it all in that way, suddenly, everything fit.

He wished it hadn't.

The two of them hadn't gone to the department store on a whim that morning. If someone knew that Kazuha was filling in for her classmate that day, then it was possible that they had known they were going to be there. While she was playing her role in the hero show, it would have been simple to enter the makeshift dressing rooms and steal her cellphone, ensuring that she would come back looking for it later.

It was a line of thought that sent a chill down his spine.

Because it meant Heiji was _right_. He wasn't just blaming himself because he had chosen to ignore the suspicious men that he had noticed in the department store. No, the reason he was blaming himself was because from the very start, the target had never been the department store- it had been the people in it.

No, not even the people inside. Just the one. If from the very start, the target was none other than Kazuha, and Kazuha alone, then suddenly, everything made an almost chilling amount of sense. The fact that the group hadn't yet given out their motive for the attack, the strange way that Heiji had been behaving, the fact that no one could find him now, even the way he had abandoned his own charm- it all fit together, even though he didn't want it to.

Their objective hadn't been to destroy a building, or even to kill people. Their objective had been to bring it down with someone important to the famous high school detective of the west inside.

While he watched it happen.

The cold chill that crept up his spine next had nothing to do with the horrifying implications of the culprit's motives- but everything to do with the fact that the one who was at the center of this all was now missing.

Because one other thing clicked in his mind then- what it was about Heiji that seemed so different from normal. Thinking on it now, he wondered how he hadn't noticed it right away- because now that he saw it, he couldn't believe that he hadn't before.

Hotblooded, hot tempered. That was what people called him. But the Hattori Heiji that he had spoken with today had barely any trace of that. There was no heat, there was no fire. Certainly there was plenty of _anger_ , just underneath the surface, mixed in there with regret, but it wasn't the kind that he was used to. It was almost as if the fire had been doused, and what remained had turned to ice.

No, maybe he was still overthinking things. He had no proof. Rushing to conclusions wouldn't be good. He didn't even know if Heiji had really left or not- there was a chance that he had only just gone home to get a change of clothes. He might have even fallen asleep somewhere- he'd been looking like he could have used a good nap for awhile now. There were still things that bothered him, but if he didn't approach this case with as clear a mind as possible, there would be trouble.

Of the two of them, he was the only one who _could_ be somewhat objective right now. Even if that dreadful theory wasn't true, it was still true enough that Heiji wasn't fully in his right mind right now- perhaps it would be for the best if he didn't try and rush into things. In the state he was in now, it was hard to say how things might turn out if he came across, face to face, with one of the people behind the bombing.

For just knocking her out and holding her up with some strings, he had uttered words that couldn't be taken back, words that had broken a man's spirit. This had been far, far worse than that.

First things first- he had to gather information, to learn what really was going on here, beyond just what the public was being told at the moment. And in order to do that, he would need to have an ear amongst the police officers. There was no way that they would let a seven year old child sit in on their briefings, no matter _how_ smart he was, and it wasn't as if Kudo Shinichi could get involved with a case this big, and this public- even if he did have a way to turn back to his normal form with him, which he didn't. With that in mind...

"Hey, Ran-neechan?" Hiding his true intentions behind a childlike curiosity, he couldn't help but be grateful that he had the forethought to bring some of the Professor's transceivers with him. "When is Uncle Kogoro getting here?"

* * *

Judging from the missed call he had gotten from Ran, and the rather antsy voicemail left by his mother, they had noticed that he was missing. For the moment, he bought himself a bit of time by sending his mother a mail, informing her that he had gone home to clean himself up a little and get a change of clothes, and that he would return in around an hour.

It wasn't _entirely_ a lie, the first part, at the very least. He really had gone home to get a change of clothes. He couldn't be wearing a charred jacket and pants forever, after all. It was everything he was doing _after_ that, that he had left out of the message. Because if the first part was mostly true, then the second part was _completely_ a lie- he had no intention of coming back within the hour.

But it would buy him time, and keep people out of his hair.

Enough time to pack a bag, and buy a different phone. Enough time to start following the one lead that he had that he knew the police _didn't_. Enough time to track down the man in the photograph that he had taken back then, a man that he was almost certain was one of the culprits.

But before that, he had a phone call to make.

It was a gamble, really. He hadn't included the number of his new phone in the mail that he had sent the culprit, the one with Kazuha's phone. He didn't want to risk it. It would eventually come out into the open that one of the culprits likely had Kazuha's phone, especially if Kudo picked up on the hint that he had left him, but for the moment, this would buy him time, and make him harder track.

He could have just destroyed his old phone, or removed the data from it- but he didn't, instead throwing it away in a garbage can. Perhaps someone would find it, perhaps nobody would- that too, was a gamble. Perhaps there was some part of him that still wanted to be stopped, that wanted someone to catch up with him.

He was a detective first, above everything else, and perhaps that would be enough to hold him back from doing anything that he would regret. Perhaps it wouldn't be enough though, and he had to be ready to accept that possibility, should it occur- lying to himself at this point wouldn't do him a lick of good.

It was a gamble, though, this new phone. If the person who now had Kazuha's phone didn't pick up, then he had lost the only line he had to them.

But they did.

"Calling me again so soon, Hattori-kun?" The voice on the other end of the line offered him no clues, still as distorted as before. It didn't matter. They could distort their voice, but they couldn't distort the sounds that surrounded them- and he was recording the call. "I see you bought yourself a new phone."

"Yeah. I'm sure that ya can figure out _why_." Keeping his words curt, Heiji narrowed his eyes. "Ya went an' did somethin' that ya _really_ shouldn't have."

"Then I look forward to being able to meet you face to face, Hattori-kun. That is, if you really do live up to your reputation as a detective. Are you certain your fame isn't just because you've been riding off of your father's coattails?"

"I'll make ya regret underestimatin' me, asshole." No matter how numb he felt otherwise, it would seem that this bastard still had a way to rile him up, to get his blood boiling- whoever they were, he would see to it that they paid for what they had done. "An' the rest of yer lot too."

"Those don't sound quite like the words of a detective."

"Maybe they aren't."


	4. The One Who Did Not Return

**AN** : First of all, to all of those of you who came out to support me when I was at a low point with this story, I want to take a moment to thank you! It never feels good to see something that you've worked hard on going without any visible acknowledgment, so it was kind of stressing me out to the point where I had to go that far in reuploading the chapter. To those of you who understood, I thank you!

With that, the next chapter is here! As always, thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you can!

Until next time~!

* * *

 **Chains of Iron**

 **Chapter Four**

 **The One Who Did Not Return**

* * *

He'd gone home to clean up a bit, and would be back within an hour.

That was what Heiji had told his mother in the mail he sent her. For a time, it allowed them to breathe a bit easily, solving the mystery of where he'd gone off to. Even when the hour passed, and he didn't return, they just assumed that he might have fallen asleep. To say that he'd had a long stressful day was perhaps an understatement, so if he had succumbed to his exhaustion upon returning home, that was understandable.

To that extent, Shizuka had returned home to check on him, a bit worried that he might have passed out on the couch or somewhere like that. She didn't want him to catch a cold, after all, and he was prone to doing that sort of thing from time to time. However, upon returning home herself, there were two things that she had come to notice.

One- that she couldn't find Heiji anywhere.

Two- some of his things were missing, chief among them being his motorcycle.

That _did_ create some worry.

 _"...Sorry."_

Once more, Heiji's apology played out in his head, haunting his thoughts. Combined with the theory that Kazuha might have very well been the sole target of this bombing, he felt a growing sense of unease rising inside of him. If, in that state, Heiji had gone to find the culprits himself, alone...

No, no. Even if Heiji was the impulsive type, he wouldn't do something like that. Chase after them by himself, sure, especially if he felt like he might bring danger to those around him, yes- but it was hard to think that he would ever go so far as...

That said, there was no way that he was thinking straight at the moment. Kazuha had nearly lost her life, and was still hanging on by a thread- and on top of everything else, he was blaming himself for this. It was hard to say what he would do if he managed to find them, which made it all the more imperative that they find him first, before he could be allowed to do something that Conan could only hope that Heiji would come to regret.

Calling his phone was the next logical step, but though it always rang, for the longest time, nobody picked it up. When someone finally did, it wasn't the high school detective of the west himself, but rather, someone who claimed that he had found the cellphone after hearing it ring. Ran had taken it upon herself to go meet the person who had found it, and Conan had invited himself to go with her, ignoring her protests that he should be in bed at this hour.

It was definitely Heiji's phone. Even without the charm that was usually attached to it, it was easy to identify as such. But more than the fact that someone had found it, what really caused them concern was _where_ the phone in question had been found- a garbage bin. Though a quick check indicated that it all of it's data seemed to be intact, the fact that Heiji had apparently thrown it away was not a fact that sat easily on anyone.

Heiji had cut his only line connecting them, thrown it away as if it were nothing. As Conan carefully checked the contents for any kind of clue as to what it was that his friend was currently up to, he only found the hunk of plastic in his hands useless. If there had been anything on it that might lead them to the culprit, Heiji had already removed it.

The only thing remaining behind were the call logs. One call had been made from Kazuha's cellphone, and one call had been made to it. Naturally, Conan attempted to call the phone himself, but had instead gotten a message that it was currently either out of service, or shut off. Probably the latter, he was willing to bet. They didn't want to risk being traced by it.

"I'm sure he'll be alright, Conan-kun. Hattori-kun knows what he's doing." Ran was trying to reassure him, he knew. She was doing quite the good job at masking her own anxieties, but he knew that the strange way Heiji had been acting before was weighing on her now as well. While she hadn't seemed to make the connection that he had yet, it wasn't something that he could keep in the dark for very long.

For the investigation to proceed, the fact that there was a good chance that Kazuha might have been targeted was something that needed to come to light. At the very least, amongst the police- more than ever, it was important to keep the fact that she had been involved in the bombing a secret from the media. If word got out that the famous high school detective of the west had vanished after his childhood friend had nearly been killed, perhaps because of him...

He didn't want to think about the frenzy that would stir.

Above all else, he didn't want to see people say things about Heiji, to speculate the things that he was dreading in the depths of his heart out loud. People who didn't even know him, people who only knew his reputation for being hotblooded coming to their own conclusions about what this meant.

There was _no way_ he would do something like that.

But first, he needed to find someone who would take him seriously. That meant getting himself to police headquarters, which was easier said than done, since Ran didn't want to let him out of her sights too much. She certainly didn't want him poking his nose into this case, not like he normally did- so there was no way she would bring him there herself. He had even missed the chance to slip into Kogoro's taxi, who had headed straight over to headquarters after he had finished checking on his daughter.

Which left only one option, really- sneaking out when nobody was paying attention, and calling someone who _would_ bring him where he wanted to go.

That said, he did kind of wish that the Professor had come alone.

"Here, coffee." Handing him a can of the stuff, Ai masked whatever she was thinking behind her usual blank expression. "Judging from the look of the bags under your eyes, you need it."

"I don't want to hear you of all people say that, Haibara." Conan said dryly, nevertheless taking the can from her. He was half tempted to ask why she was here, but frankly, he didn't care that much. "But thank you. I get the feeling I'm probably not going to get much sleep for awhile."

"Has Heiji-kun _really_ gone missing?" Sparing them a glance from the driver's seats of the rental car he'd picked up, Agasa couldn't help but frown. "You don't think he's trying to investigate this case on own, do you, Shinichi?"

"Yeah, probably." Conan noted, opening up the can and taking a long drink before he continued. "He's both blaming himself for Kazuha-chan's current condition, and is probably worried that other people might be targeted because of him. Since he saw the faces of some of the culprits, it's possible that he's trying to track them down based on that."

"But would someone really bring down an entire building just to kill one person?" Ai asked, a skeptical note on her voice. "Even for a murderer, it seems a bit rash."

"There might very well be another motive behind this as well, but it's likely that they picked that first target because they knew that Hattori and Kazuha-chan would be there." Conan told her, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Well, I still have no solid proof that Kazuha-chan was deliberately targeted, but given Hattori's behavior, I'm leaning in that direction."

"You said something about her cellphone being stolen over the phone." Agasa noted, returning his attention back to the road as he spoke.

"Yeah. According to what he told Ran, her lucky charm went missing after the hero show she put on." Conan said. "Since she usually has it attached to her cellphone, losing it means that it's likely she lost that as well. Since she was there to fill in for her classmate on that day, it's possible someone might have learned of that fact, and used it."

"I see. Sneaking into the dressing room at a department store would be a simple matter." Ai noted. "And once she noticed her phone was missing, she was certain to go look for it. If the culprit was watching the department store, they could have been waiting for that chance."

"Yeah, probably." Conan said, nodding his head. "Of course, if the bombs that were used were time bombs, then it's a less likely that she was targeted on purpose. However, if they were set up to explode when the button a remote was pushed, it's a different matter."

"But why target Kazuha-kun?" Agasa asked. "Because of her father?"

"No, I don't think so." Conan said, shaking his head. "She was probably targeted because of Hattori. Right before the first bomb went off, he received a call from her phone. Since Kazuha-chan wasn't found with one on her, the call probably came from whoever had taken it. There's only one reason I can think of for the culprit to have done something like that."

"What's more, according to his call logs, he made another call to her cellphone some time after Ran and I arrived at the hospital. He probably called to see if the culprit still had her phone." Conan told her, his own words stirring the memory of his rooftop conversation with Heiji once more.

If only he had said the right thing back there, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way. That said, even now, he wasn't sure what he could have said to change Heiji's mind- from the sound of it, he had already pretty much made it up.

"I see." Ai said, leaning back in her seat, closing her eyes. "If that's the case, it's no wonder that Hattori-kun has disappeared."

"Yeah." With another curt nod of his head, Conan placed a hand on his chin. "This is clearly an act of resentment, no matter how you look at it. But does he have anyone like that? Someone who would hate him enough to do something like this."

"It's possible." Ai told him. "He is a detective, after all."

"That's true, but..." Trailing off a little, Conan ran a hand through his hair. "It's hard to imagine, that Hattori would have someone who resents him this much, even with that. He's not the kind of guy that makes others hate him, after all."

"You say that, but the truth is that you've only known him for half a year, right?" Ai pointed out. "You even said once, that you didn't care for him that much the first time you met him. Do you even know that much about his past to begin with?"

"...now that you mention it..." Trailing off a little, Conan's brows furrowed together. He didn't, actually. Aside from the fact that he had once cuffed himself to Kazuha when he was a kid, and that they had just barely missed each other on that ski trip during middle school, he actually didn't know a whole lot about Heiji's past.

"I don't." He said finally. "Hattori doesn't talk about himself all that much."

That was weird- why he hadn't noticed something like that earlier? For someone who chattered as much as Heiji did, he would have thought that he would have picked up on the fact that he didn't actually talk that much about himself, but for some reason, he never had. Being reticent wasn't like him- so it was a little weird that he didn't talk about things like that.

"Well, in that case, wouldn't the first place you should start be looking through his past cases?" Ai asked. "Since it's obvious you can't ask the person in question himself right now."

"Yeah, I was thinking of doing that." Conan told her, a slight frown on his face as he glanced her way. It might just be the usual Haibara, but there was something to her tone as she said that, that bothered him. "Well, if there's someone like that in Hattori's past, I would imagine that one or both of his parents might know something about them."

"I'm surprised though, that you're not trying to chase after Hattori-kun." Ai observed.

"Even if I wanted to, he knows Osaka better than I do." Conan admitted. "If he doesn't want to be found right now, it probably won't be that easy to find him. It's faster to find the culprit, and bring them to justice."

"You aren't afraid that he might try and do something rash?" Ai asked. "He's done it in the past, you know. For that girl."

"Of course not." Turning his head, Conan sent a sharp glare her way. "Hattori's got a temper, and he can be hotheaded, to be sure, but he's not that sort of person. Besides, if that really was the case, he probably would have broken his cellphone, or at the very least, erased the recent call history. I don't think he would have told Ran about the missing charm either."

"Oh?" Merely lifting her brows, letting the glare roll off of her without much effect, Ai frowned. "It almost sounds as if you're trying to convince yourself of that as well, Kudo-kun."

Opening his mouth to make a retort, Conan quickly shut it, turning away from her, the sound of Heiji's apology once more filling his head. It was that, that bothered him more than anything right now- what had he meant by that? Surely he would never really...

No, no, he couldn't think something like that. Regardless, finding the culprits took top priority right now. It was too early to say that their motive revolved entirely around Heiji- and if that was the case, then it was possible that they might strike again. Stopping them before that happened was critical.

Whatever happened, they couldn't allow any further victims to be created. There had already been more than enough.

* * *

As one would expect, Osaka's police headquarters was in state of frenzy.

Perhaps _frenzy_ wasn't the right word for it- while it certainly was in a state of chaos, it was very much a controlled chaos. With someone like Hattori Heizo in charge, it was no wonder that was the case. What was true was that it was abuzz with activity wherever he looked, that for a moment, it took him awhile to figure out where it was that he needed to go. After all, he wasn't nearly as familiar with the layout of Osaka's police headquarters as he was with that of the Tokyo MPD's.

"What are you doing here?" It was the annoyed sound of Kogoro's voice that told him that he had the right place. "How did you even get here? Shouldn't you be back at the hospital, with Ran?"

"But, I couldn't wait! I was worried!" Conan protested, for the moment, doing his best to act like a child. Just his luck, the old man was alone, with none of the Osakan police officers that he had become familiar with around him. Well, he could still work with this. "After all, Heiji-niichan disappeared!"

"Disappeared?" Kogoro blinked. "I thought he had just gone home to change?"

"That's what we thought, but even after an hour passed, he didn't come back!" Conan insisted. "When his mom went to check on him, she couldn't find him anywhere, and his bike was missing too!"

"His bike?" Brows furrowing together in thought, Kogoro processed this information. "You don't mean to tell me that he might have gone after the culprits himself?"

With a firm nod of his head, Conan was grateful that he managed to get the picture so quickly. When he'd last left her, Shizuka had still been trying to get in touch with Heiji's father, but wasn't having much luck. Given how busy things were here, it didn't really surprise him.

"But why would he do something like that?" Kogoro asked, glancing down towards Conan. "For that little girlfriend of his?"

"I think so." Conan said. "Heiji-niichan seems to think that he's responsible for her being involved in the bombing, after all. He even threw his cellphone away and everything! Isn't that mean of him?"

"Threw it away?" Kogoro blinked, frowning a little as Conan dug into his pocket, and pulled out a cellphone. Taking it from him, he turned it on, quickly able to figure out that it was Heiji's cellphone. "Why would he do something like that?"

"I don't know." Conan said, shaking his head. "But speaking of missing cellphones, I heard from Ran-neechan that the reason that Kazuha-neechan went back inside the department store in the first place was to find her missing phone. But it's weird! Even though she didn't have it when she was found, Heiji-niichan still got a call from her, right before the first bomb went off!"

"Ah, you're right." Blinking a little as he brought up the recent call history, the man's frown deepened. "Not to mention that he made a call to it several hours later." Though it seemed to take several moments, eventually, the gears in the man's head began to turn, something clicking into place. "Oi, you're not saying-?!"

"Yeah." Dropping the act for a moment, Conan nodded his head, allowing a serious expression to surface on his face. "Someone who knew she would be there probably set Kazuha-neechan up. What's more, they wanted to be sure that Heiji-niichan knew that it was his fault."

"But when you say it like that..." It was in times like this, that it was clear that the man was a father- his expression alone was all that he needed to imagine a similar scenario happening with Ran playing out in his mind. "Then, that ponytailed girl was the target from very beginning?"

"Yeah, probably." With a firm nod of his head, Conan frowned. "They might have another motive beyond that, but it sounds like that our culprit has quite the grudge against Heiji-niichan."

"And that Osakan brat is out there right now, trying to find them by himself." Kogoro muttered, an expression of frustration crossing his face. "In that case, we'd better find him first before he gets himself into trouble. Honestly, high school detectives are nothing but that!"

For once, Conan didn't exactly have it in him to argue.

* * *

It perhaps shouldn't come as any surprise to him that those who knew Heiji the best only needed to be shown his cellphone to understand what he'd done. All Heizo needed to do to communicate that an order was to be delayed throughout the force that if his son were spotted, he should be brought back home, was simply turn his gaze Otaki's way.

If he was worried about his son, however, such a thing didn't surface on Hattori Heizo's face. That said, Conan found it hard to believe that he wouldn't be- it had, after all, been a rather close call.

In any other situation, Conan would have claimed that Heiji was lucky to get off with only mild burns, and a few scrapes and bruises here and there. But if his current theory was correct, the culprit had probably planned that- waiting for when Heiji was outside of the department store to set the bomb off. His injuries might have been light as a result, but the mental damage that he had taken was probably all the greater.

Heizo, he could tell, understood this. While the reverse might not be true, he understood his son and his way of thinking rather well. The crawling possibility that Heiji might be out to do something rash had probably already occurred to him, but given the way he was, Conan couldn't tell one way or another if he believed his son would go through with such a thing.

At the very least, he wanted to believe that Heiji wouldn't. He'd tried to impress the importance of life on him, and it was a lesson that he was under the impression that Heiji understood. At the very least, he did while he was in his right state of mind- for a moment, his thoughts drifted back towards the case in Tottori, and the harsh words that he had given it's culprit, saying things that didn't need to be said.

This time, what had happened to Kazuha was far worse than her simply being knocked out and strung up by threads. And if he really was planning something, then whatever it was would doubtlessly be far worse than mere words.

There had still been no declaration of intent from the culprits behind the explosion. Still, there was a chance yet that they might be able to obtain a clue. The department store in question had six floors, yet explosions had only occurred on five of them. Currently, the police had reason to believe that there was actually a sixth bomb placed on one of the floors, but that for whatever reason, it had failed to go off.

If they could recover it, or what remained of it, they might be able to learn something.

It wasn't as if they were without leads either, Conan found out. A number of plastic explosives had been stolen around five months ago, in the nearby prefecture of Hyogo. From what they could already determine, it would seem as if the explosives stolen then, and the explosives used in today's attack, were probably one and the same.

The _bad_ news was that there was still explosive material left unaccounted for. In other words, the odds that the group responsible would strike again were high.

It wasn't an idea that anyone liked to entertain- but that everyone was on high alert for. For the moment, it seemed that all department stores and schools in the Osaka area would be closed tomorrow- and warnings had gone out to all department stores within the same chain as the one that had exploded to be on high alert. Not _just_ within Osaka, but within the surrounding prefectures as well.

Still, the way that Heizo moved around men with ease was nothing short of amazing. It was easy to understand, watching him, how he had gotten this position in the first place. If lack of sleep was affecting him at all, then he wasn't showing it in the slightest.

Toyama Ginshiro, however, was almost predictably, showing a bit more wear and tear. Given that his daughter was still fighting for her life as they spoke, it was to be expected.

No updates had yet been made on Kazuha's condition- which was both good, and bad. While no news was good news, in that the doctors surely would have said something if her condition had suddenly taken a turn of the worse, no news also still meant no _good_ news- and a lot more waiting for any sign of it.

If there was one thing he couldn't understand, it was how Heiji could even bear to leave Kazuha's side right now. If it were Ran instead, he didn't think he would be able to manage, no matter how responsible he felt.

"There you are, Conan-kun!"

Speaking of Ran... just as he thought, she was mad. Slowly turning around to face her, a nervous expression on his face, a feeling that escaped out of him in a bubble of laughter, Conan could only swallow. "R-Ran-neechan! What brings you here?"

"What brings me here?" Ran asked, narrowing her eyes in a way that made Conan flinched. "Father called me and told me that you were here! I had been wondering where you'd run off to, but I never would have thought that you would have gone so far as to call the Professor to drive you here."

"But-!" Conan began, only to find himself quickly cut off.

"No buts!" Reaching out a hand to take his, Ran cut off any further arguments. "Come on, we're going back. Hattori-kun's mother has offered to let us spend the night at her place, so we're going there now."

"But, Heiji-niichan-!" Conan began again, only to once more find his words dying in his throat. Ran was more than just angry with him, she was _furious_. Well, given the circumstances, he couldn't exactly blame her.

" _No_!" Ran said shortly, before heaving a long sigh, scooping up what she thought of as a small boy into her arms. Between Kazuha getting badly hurt, and Heiji going missing, this probably wasn't an easy situation for him. "I know you're worried about Hattori-kun, Conan-kun. I am too! But this is police business. It's not something that we should stick our noses into."

Sensing that any further protests wouldn't get him anywhere, and would probably only serve to make Ran more upset, Conan's shoulders slumped, realizing this was a fight he couldn't win. Besides, she was right- the police were on the job currently, so at the very least, he could go back and try and get a bit of sleep. Maybe he would be able to face the problem with an even clearer head by tomorrow.

And for all he knew, someone might find Heiji during the night. He was, after all, kind of hard to miss.

"Okay." Slowly nodding his head, letting out a loud yawn now that he had resigned himself to the notion of sleep, Conan tried to give Ran something of a smile. It would seem that the coffee he had gotten from Ai earlier wasn't doing much good after all. "I'm sorry, Ran-neechan. I didn't mean to make you mad."

Letting out another long sigh, a trace of a gentle smile surfacing on her face, Ran hugged him all the closer to herself. "I know that. You just want to help, right?"

"Yeah." With another small nod of his head, Conan's eyes narrowed. If he were in his real body right now, he would be able to do even more than this- and the fact that he couldn't was frustrating. "I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt."

"Me too." Ran told him, closing her eyes. "Me too, Conan-kun."

* * *

He woke to news.

Thankfully, it was good.

While there was still no word as to Kazuha's condition- though she had survived the night, which was always positive- there _was_ , however, news in regards to the case. Two pieces of it, in fact, both of which were good.

The first piece of news was that they had been able to recover the unexploded bomb. Once making sure that it would explode, they had taken it in to examine it in more depth. By chance, it had remained largely intact- allowing them to confirm that it was rigged to blow via the use of some kind of external detonator, rather than a time bomb. They had been able to pinpoint the reason it had failed to go off as well- there was a problem with the device responsible for receiving the detonation command. Judging from what little could be recovered of the other five bombs, it seemed very much like they were the same.

In other words, it was looking more and more likely that his theory was correct.

If he had to be honest though, this was a situation in which he'd rather not be right. The fact that there could really be someone out there who had such a strong grudge against Heiji that they would go this far to get revenge... it wasn't a thought that sat easy with him.

The other piece of news was related to the missing high school detective himself. He hadn't been found- nobody had spotted hide nor hair of him, nor of his bike. He must have known that his father would have people keeping their eyes open for him, and was doing his best to attract as little attention to himself as possible.

No, the other piece of news was in relation to his cellphone- namely, that they had recovered some data from it. Just in case there had been something on it that Heiji might have deleted, Heizo had sent it in to be checked. What they came back with was a hit- there was a photograph on it that he had taken just a few scant hours before the first bomb went off.

A photo that was probably one of the bombers.

The fact that he had deleted it made Conan's skin crawl, a nervous feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, only held at bay by the fact that Heiji hadn't gone so far as to destroy his cellphone. They never would have been able to find it then, and knowing Heiji, it was likely that he knew the deleted data could easily be recovered.

Still, it wasn't a fact that sat easy with him, even so.

There was one other piece of good news, related to the photograph- the man in it had already been identified. Apparently he already had record- for petty theft, mostly. How a common thief had gotten mixed up with bombers was a question that they had set out to solve, digging deep into those he had been communicating with recently, and any of the fellow inmates at the prison he had once been incarcerated in who might have spoken with him during that time.

As well, of course, as looking for the actual person himself. One Higashi Satoshi, a native of Kyoto, as it turned out. Kyoto police had been more than wiling to join the investigation, and had already sent officers to search the man's apartment, which they had found with relative ease. It came as no surprise to anyone, really, that he wasn't actually there- according to his neighbors, he hadn't been around for the past week or so.

Nothing linking him directly to the crime could be found at his apartment, but an officer had been placed on stakeout across the street from it, on the off chance that he came back. For the moment, they would prevent his name and photo from leaking out to the press- if the bombers learned that his identity had been exposed, they might very well lose their only lead.

Not only had there been no sign of Heiji overnight, but there had also been no sign of any kind of manifesto from the bombers either. Conan could tell that the public was starting to get antsy about that- there was an uncertain air that had settled over the city of Osaka that morning, one that was almost oppressive in how thick it was.

For now, the police were keeping tight control over all information relating to the case, as much as they could. Especially the fact that there were still stolen explosives that were yet unaccounted for- if information like that leaked to the general public, there could be panic. Panic, it seemed, was very much what Hattori Heizo was trying to _avoid_ at the moment, and understandably so.

It was a good news, for the most part. And yet, he couldn't help but be antsy.

There was still no word about Heiji, nor any word from him. Until there was, he couldn't relax. The knowledge that he was out there, somewhere, investigating the case on his own, while probably not entirely in his right mind... even if he didn't think Heiji was the type to do anything like that, he still couldn't help but worry. At the very least, he was putting himself in danger, even if he was doing it in hopes of keeping others out of danger.

Well, he supposed he didn't have much of a right to lecture when it came to the latter part. In the end, that appeared to be something that the two of them had in common.

"I'm sure he'll come back soon, Conan-kun." Taking a seat next to him, Ran cast a smile down towards the boy. "Here, some orange juice."

"Thanks, Ran-neechan." Gratefully accepting the can, Conan did his best to smile at her. "Have the doctors said anything about Kazuha-neechan yet?"

"No, not yet." Ran said, shaking her head. "But they say it's a good sign that she got through the night, if nothing else. Still I really don't understand that Hattori-kun... what could he possibly be thinking, leaving at a time like this? Kazuha-chan needs him by her side now more than ever."

"I don't know." Conan told her, shaking his head. "Maybe he's worried that she might get hurt again because of him."

"I suppose." Ran admitted with a slight frown, leaning her head back against the wall. "But if anyone came to her hospital room and tried anything, I'd _definitely_ send them flying! After doing something like that too her... I won't be satisfied until I can give them a piece of my mind!"

A slightly more genuine smile crossing his face, Conan looked up towards Ran. As he thought, in spite of the cheerful face that she was putting on, she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. That much was obvious from the bags underneath her eyes. "How about you though, Ran-neechan?"

"Me?" Ran blinked, for a moment opening her mouth to reassure him that she was one hundred percent okay- before she just as quickly realized that he had probably already seen through that. He was a smart kid, after all. "I'll be fine, Conan-kun. You don't have to worry about me on top of everyone else."

"Even if you say that..." Trailing off, Conan forced himself to look away from her, worried that his expression might reveal too much. "But I'm sure it'll be fine, Ran-neechan! After all, Kazuha-neechan is tough, and like you said, I'm sure Heiji-niichan will come back soon!"

"You're right." Nodding her head, Ran lightly ruffled his hair, giving him another smile. "I'm sure things will work out. According to dad, they already found a lead, after all. Once they find this Higashi Satoshi person, or whatever, I'm sure they'll be able to solve the case. Between Hattori-kun's father and my father, those criminals don't stand a chance!"

"Yeah!" With a firm nod of his head, Conan popped open the can of juice. Not to mention, besides them, there was one more detective on this case- himself. "I'm sure."

* * *

That said, Ran would probably a bit annoyed later to learn that he had slipped out again, to return to police headquarters. It seemed that the Professor and Ai had gotten a hotel room in the city, and would likely be staying there at least until Monday, allowing him free access of the Professor's car.

If there was one thing that he regretted, it was not putting a transmitter on Kogoro's clothes when he had the chance. Although he had gotten to the police headquarters, the only officer that he had seen that was willing to talk to him was Otaki, and right now, he had his hands full. Apparently he had been given a job separate from the rest of the officers- namely, tracking Heiji down.

And to that end? He wasn't having much luck. Really, he couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the guy- it looked as if he hadn't gotten much more than maybe an hour or two of sleep. Since he had known Heiji since he was a child, he was no doubt worried about him. He knew him well enough to know just what kind of trouble he was capable of getting himself into.

Not to mention, it would seem that Heiji had no intention of being found easily, not this time. He must have known Osaka even better than he first thought, if someone that stood out as much as him hadn't been spotted by anyone yet.

As for Higashi Satoshi, on the other hand...

From the sound of things, something had happened with that. Each time new information came in, the police headquarters was stirred anew with a buzz of voices. Judging by the commotion this time, it would seem as if they had found something rather important- and there was no way he was going to miss it if they had.

Getting up off the bench that he had been parked on by a officer, one who had apparently forgotten all about him, Conan made his way towards the source of the noise. Just faintly, he could make out the sound of Heizo's voice from within the room- it must be something important indeed if the police chief himself was involved.

They had either found Heiji, or perhaps...

"We've just received word from Inspector Ayanokouji of Kyoto's Prefectural police force, sir!" A young officer, from the sound of his voice, Conan quickly determined- though there was something to the tone of it that he didn't quite like. "It appears that they've located the suspect."

It would seem as if Heizo picked up on the same thing that he had- because rather than jump into celebrating the news, as he vaguely could make out Kogoro doing, he had a different response ready. "And? There's more to it, isn't there?"

"Ah, yes." At the question, the hint in the young officer's voice suddenly increased, and Conan finally recognized if for what it was- nerves. Was is just because he was speaking to someone so important in rank? No, that couldn't be it.

"They _did_ find him, but..."

There was a long silence then, as the young officer swallowed back his nerves, ready to deliver what Conan now had the feeling was likely to be what nobody wanted to hear right now- bad news. Even before the man spoke again, Conan could feel the knot of anxiety in his stomach growing taut, a cold sensation creeping up the back of his neck.

"He's dead, sir. The suspect was found dead."


	5. The Traces No One Wanted

**AN** : Oh hey, it's chapter five! Nice to see all of you again, with this new chapter! I think it turned out pretty well myself, really. As always, thanks for reading, and if you could leave a review, that would be great! It's June, so summer is pretty much here, and school's probably out for most of you who are still in school- so I hope you all have a good summer vacation!

Until next time!

* * *

 **Chains of Iron**

 **Chapter Five**

 **The Traces No One Wanted**

* * *

A corpse.

A corpse had been found. Not just _any_ corpse either, but the body of one of the suspects that they had been trying to track down. Or rather, their only suspect, which also equaled out to him being their only lead- so for someone like that to be dead... it went almost without saying that it wasn't good news.

Either the ringleader of all of this had found out they were searching for him, or...

No, no. He wouldn't think something like that, no matter how much he wasn't thinking straight. It was far more likely that he had been killed to cover their tracks. That was all. That was what it had to be.

And like _hell_ he was going to let himself be left behind. It hadn't been hard, really, slipping into Otaki's car. Everyone was so distracted, that they had barely noticed a small child slipping in between them. By the time Otaki had finally noticed that he was in the back seat of his car, they had already driven too far to turn back around, causing the scarred officer to resign himself to his fate.

He probably just thought he was worried about Heiji, anyways. Which wasn't entirely false. This was someone who was not only willing to bomb a building full of innocent people, but also kill one of their own underlings, just because the police were closing in on them. He could only hope that Heiji knew what he was getting himself into.

Chances were, he probably did. Or rather, there was no way that he _didn't_. Either he just didn't care, or he just didn't want to get anyone else dragged into it. Knowing Heiji, the answer was probably both.

Maybe with any luck, he'd be able to spot him around here. Although this was something that the police were trying to keep under wraps for the moment, there was no doubt that Heiji would sniff it out eventually, especially if he had already been searching for him himself. If he did, he wouldn't let that stubborn idiot go. Right now, he had the Professor looking into Heiji's past cases, trying to see if there was anything that might link him to the current case. He'd promised to contact him if he found anything promising, and he could only hope that a lead would turn up there.

"He was found earlier in the morning by a jogger passing through the area." Only half listening to the explanation that the officers at the scene were giving to Otaki, Conan carefully studied the body while he had the chance. Just from looking at him, it was clear that he had been pulled out from the river, where he had been found floating in. Drowning hadn't been the cause of death- not given the bullet hole in his head, it wasn't.

He had most likely been shot somewhere else, and then tossed in the river. Officers were already searching for possible sites upstream from here, both from where he might have been tossed in, and where he might have been killed. If he was killed somewhere away from the river, though, they might have trouble narrowing down where exactly he had been when he died.

And who had been _with_ him, most importantly.

The gunshot wound might have been the ultimate cause of death, but it seemed as if there were signs of a struggle before that, traces that marked the man's corpse. It was a fact that didn't sit easy with him- if the ringleader of the group had really killed him, couldn't he do that without any fuss? Or was there something that he needed from him before that?

Once more, the chance that he might have been killed by someone else drifted to his mind, and he shook it off. For a second, at the very least, before he drew back to the thought- just because someone else might be involved in this, didn't mean that it had to be Heiji. The department store bombing had created any number of victims- among them, there was a chance that there were others, seeking revenge.

Ruling it out just because he didn't want to consider one possible third party would only hinder the investigation, not advance it. He couldn't afford that, not right now.

Still, considering that they had been keeping Higashi Satoshi's identity and his connection to the bombing under wraps, how had they been able to find that out? Did they have connections with the police? Had they perhaps seen the man themselves, and had been able to find out who he was somehow? If they had been in the building at the time, rather than just being related to someone inside of it, there must be some record of them somewhere.

It was something to think about, and something that he didn't doubt that police were already considering. Given the circumstances though, he imagined that the bulk of the suspicion would be cast to the ringleader of the bombers, but there was no way that someone like Heizo would rule out the possibility that a third party was involved here.

Drawing away from the corpse, Conan turned on his heel, eyes scanning the area. He didn't really know what he was looking for, exactly- perhaps for a trace of the missing high school detective. With the police swarming the place, he probably wouldn't come close, especially not now that officers who would recognize him on sight had arrived.

He wasn't the only one thinking it, either.

"By the way, is there any chance that you've spotted a young man like this around the scene?" Otaki asked, apparently very quickly realizing what that question sounded like. "Ah, he's not a suspect in the case, but rather, someone we're in the middle of searching for. We think he might be looking into this case himself, so if any of you or your fellow officers have seen him..."

"Ah, isn't he that high school detective?" One of the officers behind the one that Otaki had directed the question at peeked out from behind him. As expected of Heiji's reputation of the high school detective of the west, people in Kyoto recognized him too. Were he here, he'd probably be fairly pleased to hear it.

"That's right." Otaki said with a nod. "So, have you seen him?"

"Now that you mention it, there was someone like that around, when we were pulling out the corpse from the river." The same officer replied, a contemplative look on his face. "Though we've mostly chased them away now, there was quite the crowd of onlookers then. He was mixed in with them."

"Really?!" Conan hadn't realized he'd actually spoken up, until he watched the startled looks draw across the faces of the gathered men. "Um, that is, did you _really_ see him?"

For a moment, the officer didn't answer, an uncertain expression on his face, as if not knowing what it was that this child was doing here. It was only when Otaki cleared his throat, and repeated the question, that he finally got a reply. "Yes, that's right. By the time we dispersed the crowd, he was already gone, though."

"When was this?" Otaki asked.

"Around eight forty, maybe?" The officer said with a slight frown. "I don't really recall the exact time. I didn't think much of it at the time."

"Is there any chance that you saw where he went?" Conan asked, already itching to start looking. The faster they could bring Heiji home, the more at ease he would feel. Both for his friend's safety, and for well... _other_ reasons, ones that he'd rather not admit out loud.

"No." Shaking his head, the officer's frown deepened. "Like I said, by the time we dispersed the crowd, he was already gone. I didn't even notice him leave, much less see where he went. I could ask around to some of my coworkers to see if maybe anyone else saw him, but..."

"If you could." Otaki told him. "But quietly, if you don't mind. The chief would rather the people involved with this don't learn that his son is investigating the case."

They likely already knew, given their phone exchanges, but it was a reasonable enough excuse. Heiji's disappearance, and his presence at the bombing site, were among those things that the police were currently trying to keep under wraps, and out of the public eye. If rumors spread...

Well, with any luck, they would find Heiji before that happened.

* * *

"Do you mind telling me exactly where you are, _Conan-kun_?"

Even over the phone, the sound of Ran's voice was enough to put fear into his heart. Swallowing a little, his gaze flickered in Otaki's direction, who he had been shadowing ever since. He'd already promised him that he had already contacted his guardians, which had been, of course, a flat out lie. One that was now very much catching up with him, as Ran had apparently noticed his absence.

"R-Ran-neechan..." Stammering a little, racking his brain, trying to think of something to say that would get him off the hook, Conan could only swallow. "I'm with Otaki-san right now."

"Isn't Otaki-san in Kyoto right now?" Ran asked. He swore that he could almost _hear_ her narrow her eyes over the phone. "Dad said so. Something about a lead there."

Drawing in a long breath, and gathering up his courage, Conan steeled himself for what was to come. He'd already expected Ran to get mad at him for wandering of, but expecting it and _dealing_ with it were two very different things. "I wanted to come! I thought that maybe Heiji-niichan would be here!"

"Hattori-kun again?" From the sound of the long sigh on her end of the line, he guessed that she had let go of her anger for the moment. "It's fine that you're worried about him, Conan-kun, but this is a dangerous case. I know you like trying to help, and I know you're worried about Hattori-kun on top of that, but you might only get yourself hurt, especially this time. I don't want to see you in danger."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful!" Conan quickly told her. "Like I said, I'm with Otaki-san right now. It's not like I'm wandering off entirely on my own, Ran-neechan."

"Even so..." Trailing off a little, Ran let out another sigh. "Well, just come back with Otaki-san once you get the chance, Conan-kun. And promise me that you won't do anything dangerous."

"I won't, I promise!" Conan told her. "Has Heiji-niichan contacted anyone over there?"

"No." Ran told him. "Not a word. Kazuha-chan is still sleeping too. What about over there?"

"It seems like one of the officers here spotted him briefly, but didn't see where he went after that. It seems like none of the other officers on the scene saw him either." Conan told her. "Otaki-san might have already contacted his father, but if she hasn't heard about it yet, you might want to tell his mother that much."

"I will." Ran said, nodding her head. "Well, if you _do_ find him, make sure to drag him back here, Conan-kun."

"I will, don't worry." Conan promised. The _dragging_ part might be very literal, so he'd probably have to ask Otaki to do that for him. Somehow, he didn't think the man would have any issue with that, even if he knew right away that Heiji _would_. "Will you call me if Kazuha-chan wakes up?"

"I will." Ran promised him. "But it doesn't look like it will be anytime soon, according to the doctors. They say that she needs her rest so that she can start to recover, so they think she might be sleeping for awhile yet still."

She was clearly avoiding using the term _coma_ , Conan sensed, perhaps out of consideration for him. Even without saying it right out, he knew right away what it was she was describing. A real child might not, but he wasn't a real child. "I see. Then, I hope she sleeps well and recovers quickly! By the time she wakes up, I'm sure Heiji-niichan will be back too!"

"That's right." Ran said. "I'm sure he will be. Ah, and Conan-kun?"

Flinching a little at her tone, quickly realizing that she hadn't lost all of her anger after all, Conan swallowed. "Yes, Ran-neechan?"

"Don't run off like this again."

"Y-yes, Ran-neechan."

* * *

Six hours after the body had been found, and roughly nine hours after his estimated time of death, what was believed to be the site of the actual murder had been found. Bloodstains had been found in an alleyway far from one of the main roads, and most importantly, a corresponding bullet hole was bored into one of the walls.

The bullet shell itself had been removed, but the bloodstains remained behind. The blood type would be tested to see if it matched with the victim's, but more than likely, this was probably the scene of his murder. There were other marks around the area to indicate that a gun had been fired more than once- but there had been no other bullet wounds on the victim, and the shells had been neatly cleaned up as well, leaving behind only the marks that couldn't be erased. Currently, police officers were asking around the area, hoping that there was someone who had witnessed the victim- or better yet, had seen who it was that he was with around the time of his death.

Considering it had still been fairly early in the morning when it had happened, and given the remote location, police weren't expecting much witness testimony. If one wanted to kill someone without any witnesses, all in all, this was a pretty good spot. It raised the question as to why the victim had been out here in the first place- such an out of the way place wasn't normally something that someone just came to for no reason.

There was a chance that the bombers might have had some kind of base nearby, but even if the ringleader was behind his murder, that seemed doubtful. If they really had killed him to cover their tracks, it was unlikely that they would do it in a place where they could be tracked down because of it. Even if that was the case, odds were, they had already changed locations since then. Nine hours was plenty of time in which to do so.

Even so, police were on the lookout. If they really had a base set up somewhere in this area, and had changed locations, there was still a chance that they might have left some evidence behind, especially if they had moved in a hurry. As time moved forward, and they drew closer to the hour of yesterday's bombing, Conan could sense that everyone was on their toes.

Given the amount of explosives that had been stolen, the odds that they would strike again were high. With no known manifesto, it was hard to say what their target would be should they do so- another department store? Or somewhere else?

With the murder of one of the suspects, the city of Kyoto had gone on high alert. It would be rather hard to sneak in explosive material into another department store, or any important place where people might gather- but not impossible. That was, of course, provided that they hadn't moved on to another prefecture entirely.

There were too many unknowns right now, and he didn't like any of them. Should they make another attempt, it would likely clear up some questions- but nobody actually wanted that. Enough people were dead already, nobody wanted to see any further lives lost.

"Ah, that's right. I saw that man, around five in the morning or so."

Currently, he was following Otaki around, as he questioned the people in the area- and he was grateful that he had. It would seem that they had just struck what was hopefully a lead.

"Are you certain it was this man?" Otaki asked, still holding up the photograph. It was the photo that had been recovered from Heiji's cellphone, the one that he had deleted. It would seem that they were still in the process of trying to recover any other data that might have been removed, just in case he had any other clues stored on there that he might have removed.

He honestly hoped there was nothing else.

"I'm certain." The woman that they had asked nodded her head. "I was walking my dog around that time. She woke me up because she had an upset stomach, the poor dear."

"How did he seem at the time?" Otaki asked, quickly putting away the photograph, switching to his police notebook. "Was there anything that you noticed about him?"

"Noticed..." Trailing off, the woman placed a hand against her chin in thought. "Let's see... he looked like he was talking on the phone with someone, in quite the frenzy too. I couldn't really make out what he was saying, given that he was on the other sound of the street, just that he sounded upset."

"Was he carrying anything?" Conan chimed in. "Maybe a backpack, or something like that?"

"Carrying?" Blinking, both at the sudden question and the child who had asked it, the woman's frown deepened, before she shook her head. "No, he wasn't carrying anything. He wasn't carrying anything, but..."

"But?" Otaki asked, exchanging a brief glance with Conan, before turning his full attention back towards the woman. "Was there something else you noticed about him?"

"Ah, not about him so much." The woman said, shaking her head. "It's just... it seemed almost as if there was someone who was following him. I'm not really sure though, it could have just been my imagination, and they might have just been heading in the same direction."

"Following?" Conan asked. It was a strange sensation, feeling his heart both leap and clench in his chest, out of both fear and anticipation of what this could mean. "What were they like, this person?"

"I can't really say." Shaking her head, the woman clearly tried to recall. "They were wearing a hood and a cap pulled down over their face, so I couldn't really make out their face. I would say they were maybe a little over one hundred and seventy centimeters though. I think they were probably male, but I couldn't really tell that much from over here."

He really didn't like that description. From the way that he stiffened, Conan could tell Otaki didn't either.

"Did you notice anything else about this person?" Otaki asked, masking anything that he was thinking at the moment. "Or about the man in the photograph, for that matter? Even if it's small, it might help."

"Let's see here..." Trailing off once more, the woman's brows furrowed together, for a moment, lost in thought. "I can't really think of anything else about that man, but as for the one in the hood... I think his hands might have been wrapped in bandages, the both of them. Of course, it was still rather dark at the time, so I might be wrong about that, though."

As he thought, he really, _really_ didn't like that description.

"Was there perhaps a chance that person had dark skin, auntie? The one in the hood?" Swallowing back his apprehension, Conan forced the question from his lips. He could almost hear the sound of his heart pounding in his chest, and was frankly just amazed that no one else could. It seemed as if it were the loudest sound in the world at the moment.

As an expression that in other circumstances would have excited him lit up the woman's face, Conan could only feel his heart drop in his chest. He barely even needed to hear the woman's words to know what she was saying- but even so, he forced himself to listen.

"Now that you mention it...!"

* * *

When they had returned to Osaka police headquarters later that afternoon, Ran had been waiting for him. It wasn't as if he hadn't expected it, but for once, he found himself not wanting to see her. Ran being there meant that he would be dragged back to the hospital, where Kazuha was. Ran being there meant that he would be locked out of the loop during a time in which he very much wanted to be a part of it.

There had been no other witnesses who had seen either the victim, nor the person who the only witness had speculated was following him. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing- for while another witness might be able to tell them more, if what they told them only confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt that the person following him had been Heiji...

Still, it was too early to jump to conclusions. No matter how angry he was, taking someone's life just wasn't something that he could picture Heiji doing. There was a chance that he might have lost his tail somewhere along the way- the witness did also mention that the victim was speaking to someone on the phone at the time, in a manner that suggested that there was an argument going on.

It wasn't as if there was any evidence planting Heiji _at_ the scene of the crime. Even if he had been, it would have more than likely been as a witness, rather than the culprit. While it bothered him that he wasn't coming forward with any information if he had seen something, it was still far too early to jump to any serious conclusions.

Considering that Heiji had shown up several hours later, when the body was being dragged from the river, he was probably safe. For the moment, at least- if there was a chance that he might have witnessed something, then it was possible that the murderer might seek to change that. Be they the ringleader, or some other third party, seeking revenge.

Overall, the situation still wasn't good.

"Conan-kun?" The sound of Ran's voice snapped him from his thoughts. Finding her hovering over him, holding out a can of orange juice, he gave her a smile, gratefully accepting it from her. "You're still worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Nodding his head, deciding not to tell Ran about the recent developments for the moment, Conan gave her a strained smile. "I did say he would probably be back by the time Kazuha-neechan wakes up, but I can't help but worry anyways."

"That's natural." Ran said, cracking open her own can of juice. "Hattori-kun can be pretty impulsive at times, and on top of that, he has pretty bad luck. But we just have to have faith in him. That he'll come back, safe and sound. I mean, Kazuha-chan's still here, I can't imagine he'd abandon her, especially during a time like this."

"That's true." Conan admitted, taking a long sip of his juice before he continued. "If she hears that he left to strike out on his own when she wakes up, she'll probably be mad at him."

"That's true." Ran laughed. "I don't think Hattori-kun will get out of this one easily."

He couldn't help but wish that this was a conversation he could be having in his own body, as Kudo Shinichi, rather than as Edogawa Conan. He'd been feeling that way quite often lately- with everything that was going on, he could only wish that he could face it as himself. Not only would it make things easier, it felt as if he could provide those who needed it a bit more support that way as well.

But since he couldn't return to being Kudo Shinichi, not just yet, he would have to make do as he could. Thankfully, he didn't have long to dwell on such thoughts, for the sound of his phone vibrating in his pocket caught his attention. For a moment, he nearly felt his heart surge in his chest, hoping that perhaps...

But it wasn't.

It _was_ , however, the Professor. Giving Ran an apologetic look, he got up, setting down his can of juice with a promise that he would be right back once he took this call. Since he was calling him, maybe he had found something.

"Did you find anything out, Professor?" Cutting to the chase right away, Conan made a quick check of his surroundings, determining that he was away from prying ears. If there were parts of Heiji's past that he didn't want to speak of freely, then he didn't exactly want anyone else to overhear what might be said.

"Nothing concrete, unfortunately." Agasa told him. "I did find a few cases that are worth looking more into, but I didn't find anything that directly would have linked to the bombing itself. It seems that there's actually a fair number of people who might have a grudge against Heiji-kun, actually."

"How many are we talking here?" Conan asked, lips twisting into a frown. Detective or not, he had never thought that Heiji was the type to make enemies- but apparently, he was wrong.

"Around four or five." Agasa said. "I'll send you the information on your phone so that you can look it over yourself, Shinichi. That said, I can't say for sure if any of these people are connected to the case or not."

"It's fine, Professor. Just send them over anyways." Conan told him. At this point, he wasn't willing to rule anything out. "I'll look through them myself. Thanks."

"But is everything alright there Shinichi? From the sound of it, it seems like things are getting complicated." Agasa remarked. "Has Heiji-kun still not contacted you?"

"No, he hasn't." Wondering how many times he was going to be asked that question today alone, Conan had to admit, it was a fair one. "But if he does, I'll try and convince him to come back, or at the very least, let me help him a little."

There was no need to let the Professor know about recent developments either. He didn't want to risk any rumors spreading, especially not when the stakes were so high. Heiji was his friend, and he would do what he could for him, even if he wasn't letting him in right now.

It wasn't as if he couldn't understand how he was feeling, after all.

"Then, be careful, Shinichi." Agasa told him. "If this culprit really is going after people Heiji-kun knows, you should probably keep a sharp eye on your surroundings."

"I know." Conan said. "Thanks, Professor. I'd had better get back to Ran for now, before she thinks I ran off on her again. Go ahead and send that information though."

With that said, Conan hung up the phone, letting out a long breath. He had been hoping for a peaceful weekend in Osaka, to get to enjoy spending some time with his friends here. While he knew that the both of them had a knack for bad luck, he could have never imagined that something like this would be waiting for them.

He wouldn't just hope things would turn out well- he would make them. He was a detective, after all- and whoever the person behind this was, no matter how clever he was, he would catch him. This wasn't the Organization they were talking about here after all- though the thought had very briefly entered his head at one point. This wasn't their way of doing things, though.

Besides, he wasn't alone.

Heiji, on the other hand... well, that was all the more reason to get him to come home, sooner, rather than later.

* * *

It was late at night when Kogoro finally returned to the Hattori residence, where they had been invited to stay for the time being. It was strange, really, staying in Heiji's home when the person himself wasn't here, but he sensed that it was good for his mother. Keeping her busy with guests kept her mind busy- and kept her from worrying too much about her still missing son.

She'd been told by Otaki that he had been spotted in Kyoto, where the corpse of the murdered suspect was recovered. As far as Conan knew, she hadn't yet been told that he had most likely been spotted following the very same man, when he was still alive. As he thought, this was information that his father was keeping very close to him- a wise decision, for the moment, at least.

Provided it didn't have cause to blow up in his face.

He'd looked into the information that the Professor had sent to him, and hadn't been able to draw any conclusions himself. What he had learned is that there was any number of instances where Heiji had used physical force to subdue culprits that had decided fleeing was a better option, rather than turning themselves in- and that a few of them seemed to hold a grudge over him because of it.

That alone didn't seem as if would be motive enough, not for something on this scale. The fact that it might be combined with some other motive clouded everything further- this wasn't going to be a case that was so easily solved, in spite of his resolution. If he could just speak with Heiji, it might become easier, but... if that were possible right now, then he wouldn't be having all of this trouble.

And somehow, he got the feeling that the exhaustion on Kogoro's face wasn't just because of the long hours and the tough case. While it was true that when the old man got serious, he was pretty skilled in his own right, it was also clear that he was largely out of his depth here. Still, it was a good thing he was around- if only because it meant that he had someone that he could easily pump for information at the ready.

At least, that was how it was supposed to be.

"It's nothing that a brat like you needs to know."

It wasn't an entirely out of character answer for him, but it was the insistent tone and the way he didn't meet his eyes when he said it that bothered him. There was something to the look of them... something in his eyes that told him that something had happened, that there had been some kind of development in the case, but for some reason, he wasn't speaking of it.

When he forewent even a single sip of beer in exchange for going to straight to bed, Conan knew that something had to be wrong. And whatever it was... he got the feeling he wouldn't like it.

Browsing through the newspaper revealed no big story- the time of yesterday's bombing had gone and went without any incidents. In a way, that was a good thing, but it only served to make Kogoro's behavior all the more puzzling. If nothing had happened, then what was the source of it?

As much as he wanted to go and find out right away, he got the feeling that Ran wouldn't let him out of his sights for long enough to. As much as he hated waiting, it looked like he was going to have to.

Tomorrow, then- first thing. If there was something going on, he was going to find out about it.

* * *

First thing in the morning, he had called the Professor to give him a ride to police headquarters, slipping out before Ran could stop him. She would probably figure out where he was before long, but for the moment, his goal was information. Not that he thought he would be able to glean anything from him, it was still noteworthy that Heizo had not returned home the previous night, marking his second night staying at headquarters in a row.

Speaking of the place... while the mood was less of a frenzy than it had been two days ago, somewhat more subdued, it almost felt as if there was a cloud hanging over the place. It wasn't a feeling that he cared for.

"Otaki-san!" Calling out to the scarred officer the moment he had spotted him, Conan quickly closed the gap between them. For a moment, something had flashed through the older man's eyes, before he greeted him with something of a restrained smile. "How is the case going?"

"So you found your way here again, Conan-kun." Otaki remarked, kneeling down in front of him. "As for the case, for the moment, there haven't been any new leads. We've got officers looking into Higashi Satoshi's recent behavior more closely, to see if they can turn anything up, but..."

"Nothing yet?" Conan asked, tilting his head. "Is that why everyone here feels so down?"

"Ah, well that's..." Trailing off a little, Otaki hesitated for a moment. "Something like that. But you really shouldn't be here, Conan-kun. I know you're worried about Hei-chan, but..."

"Did something happen with Heiji-niichan?" Deciding that he had had about enough of beating around the bush, Conan cut straight to the point. If nothing had happened on the case front, then the only thing that could have hung such a cloud over Osaka police headquarters was something to do with Heiji.

To be honest, part of him actually didn't want to know.

"Ah, no..." Otaki began, before his shoulders slumped. Though he hadn't had many chances to deal with this child, he knew him well enough to know that he wasn't someone easily fooled. "It's just that there's a bit of trouble there, right now."

"Trouble?" Conan asked, blinking a little. "Did someone see him with the victim, or something like that?"

"No, no one aside from that one witness." Otaki said, shaking his head. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Conan asked, pressing again. "If something has happened with Heiji-niichan, then I want to know, Otaki-san. Won't you please tell me?"

The moment of silence that his question prompted made his skin crawl. What was it? What was going on? Judging from the mood, he didn't think that anything had _happened_ to Heiji- he doubted that they would be keeping that much a secret from them if that were the case. If not that, it had to be something else.

As he racked his brain for possibilities, he decided that he didn't like any of them.

"I suppose I can tell you if you insist to that extent, Conan-kun, but I'm not sure it's really something you'd want to know." Otaki admitted after a moment, letting out a long sigh. "I'd rather not know it myself. It's putting the chief in a rather tough spot right now."

"A tough spot?" Conan asked, swallowing a little. "You're not saying that...?"

"I'm afraid it's something like that." He didn't need the child to finish to know what he was going to ask. He was perceptive enough to put two and two together on his own. "The bloodstains that we found at the scene of the crime didn't _all_ belong to the victim. There was another person's blood mixed in with them."

"Oi, you don't mean...?" It wasn't that often that he found himself unable to finish his own sentences, but he got the feeling that he might be doing that quite a bit in the near future. After all, if what he thought was correct, then...

No, no. How could he do something like that? There was no way that he would!

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this doesn't leave here, but..." Pulling away from him a bit, Otaki placed a hand on his head. Even if he hadn't already said as much, it was obvious that he didn't care for this information one bit.

And frankly? Conan was almost regretting asking. But the need to know all the facts outweighed everything else, even now. Besides, even _this_ wasn't enough to damn him- though it did manage to make things rather complicated. He might have just gotten himself mixed up in something, or might have gotten a bit carried away with asking questions, or perhaps gotten in the way of the third party, or...

At this point, he almost didn't need Otaki to continue- he had more or less figured out what he was going to say already. Still, the man had resolved himself to say it, so finishing it was what he was going to do.

"It matched. With Hei-chan's."


	6. Suspect

**AN** : Here's chapter six, fresh off the presses! It looks like we have another tropical storm headed my way this weekend, but hopefully, it shoudn't be as bad as Irma was when she passed through here- and we're supposed to be landlocked where I am! Hopefully we won't lose power or anything like that, since we didn't last time.

As always, thanks for reading! Until next time!

* * *

 **Chains of Iron**

 **Chapter Six**

 **Suspect**

* * *

"Do you think you can repeat that, Otaki-san? I don't think I quite heard you right."

He had. He'd heard him perfectly clear. It was simply that he just couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Some of the blood found at the scene of the crime belonged to Heiji's? What did that even mean? What was it doing in a place like that?

The answers were obvious, but for a moment, it was as if his brain had simply ceased working, gears turning to nothing. He still couldn't believe his ears- even if there was a high chance that he had been spotted following the victim, that hadn't meant that he'd...

"Some of the blood found at the scene matched with Hei-chan's." Otaki repeated, and bless his heart, for Conan knew that he was only trying to help- but that really wasn't what he wanted to hear right now, even if he _had_ asked for it. Even if it was the truth.

No wonder Kogoro had been acting so strangely last night. No wonder the mood at the station was the way it was.

Heiji's blood. Without a doubt, it was solid proof that he had been there, at the scene of the crime. It was no longer just a high chance that he had been following the victim- it was _certain_.

Dimly, it finally occurred to him to ask a pressing question- the only one that he could fully handle at the moment. "How much blood?"

"Thankfully, not much." Otaki told him quickly, and at that, Conan felt himself let out a breath. "And it doesn't seem as if there was more that was wiped away. If he got hurt, it doesn't seem as if was seriously."

"...that's true." Conan said slowly, nodding his head. "Especially not if he showed up a few hours later in the crowd."

"Right." Otaki said. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but..."

"...not a word of this to anyone?" Conan finished. Dimly, he realized he'd more or less dropped any traces of his usual act, but he really wasn't in the mood for it right now- and he doubted anyone would notice, at this point. "Believe me, Otaki-san, I don't want to spread this around myself."

"Good." Nodding his head, Otaki reached out a hand, lightly ruffling his hair. "Well, I'm sure there's a good reason that Hei-chan's blood was there. He may have simply gotten mixed up with the real culprit, or might have gotten into a bit of a scuffle with the victim before he was killed."

"Y-yeah." Slowly nodding his head, Conan drew in a long breath. "That's true."

It _was_ true- and now that he was somewhat over his period of shock, that much became clear to him. He'd seen cases with evidence this damning before that had turned out to not be what people thought at all, so he wasn't about to condemn his best friend because of it. That Heiji was out there, tracking down the members of the bombing group, that much was for sure, but as for what his plan was when he found them...

...that he still didn't know.

Turn them in to the police, he hoped. Maybe hit them around a little- that he could accept, and he couldn't exactly blame him for wanting to do so either. After all, they'd done something so horrible to Kazuha- no, not just to Kazuha, but dozens of others. And though they hadn't said anything yet, the odds that they would strike again were still high.

Before that, he needed to find them. _All_ of them- the bombing group, the real culprit, and of course, Heiji himself.

...and as much as he hated to admit it, if he was going to do that, then he was going to need a bit more help. The professor and his rental car were appreciated, but if Heiji really didn't want to be found, the odds that they would be able to keep up with his motorbike even if they found him were slim. He'd had the professor bring his turbo skateboard along with him, but he wasn't confident that it would be able to keep up with him.

He needed someone else... someone with a sharp mind, and most importantly- a set of fast wheels.

* * *

"Did he leave?"

"Yes, just a minute ago. He seemed pretty shaken." Closing the door firmly behind him, Otaki turned towards his boss with a tight frown. "Was there a reason you wanted me to tell him about that, chief?"

Instead of answering the question, Heizo levied one of his own- though Otaki sensed it wasn't so much a question, as it was a demand from a superior officer. "You did tell him, I hope."

"I did, but..." Otaki trailed off. "He didn't seem to take it well. Are you sure that was wise? He is just a child, after all."

"It was necessary. That boy has enough faith in my fool of a son not to be shaken by it for very long. He'll be fine." Heizo noted, leaning forward in his chair, one eye opening to cast a rather studious glance on the scarred inspector. "If there's someone that my fool of a son might keep in contact with, it would be that boy. Though I can fathom as to what their relationship could be."

"It's not much like him, to spend time around children."

Looking over towards the source of the voice, Otaki blinked in surprise. He hadn't even noticed that Ginshiro was here- he didn't have much of a presence at the moment. If anything, he looked haggard and worn- which hardly surprised him, given the condition of his daughter, and the long hours that he was pulling, likely to try and avoid dwelling too long on the former.

"They do seem fairly close, but I don't think he knows where Hei-chan is." Otaki told him. "Both today and yesterday, he seemed to be searching for him just as much as we were. If anything, I think that boy's just as much at a loss as we are."

"I see." Heizo said, closing his eyes. "Then, it seems as if it's true that he has entirely cut contact with everyone."

He had at first, when Heiji had vanished, thought that he might be using the Edogawa boy as a source for police information- but given his reaction to the news that Heiji's blood had been found at the scene of the crime, it seemed as if he had as little idea as to where he was as anyone else. He'd been hoping to use that link to keep a distant eye on his son, but it would seem that this time, however deep their relationship was, it didn't seem to be enough.

Given what had happened to Kazuha, it was no small wonder that his son was taking this matter very personally. But to disappear on them like this in such a critical time, and above all to have himself become connected to the murder of one of the suspects... Hattori Heizo was no fool, and knew that the situation was very close to being the worst possible one.

That his son would do something so stupid... he had faith, at least, that no matter how rash, he wouldn't go over that edge. Not while Kazuha was still _alive_ , at the very least- he felt it better not to dwell on what could have happened if she had died, as the culprit of the case had likely intended. If his blood was found at the scene of the crime, there was probably a reason for it.

Besides, if he really _had_ killed someone, he was confident that he'd have done a better job at cleaning it up.

"I'm sure that he hasn't really-" Otaki spoke up.

"Whether he has or hasn't, it's a fact that he was at the scene of the crime." Heizo spoke, the shadows of the room serving to make his expression more grave than it already was. "If the mass media finds out about something like this... I'm sure you understand what will happen, Otaki."

Whatever the case, they had to keep that piece of information under wraps- as well as the fact that Kazuha had survived the bombing. They had placed her in the care of the hospital under a fake name for the moment, and had plain clothes officers keeping an eye on her room. If the culprits were to find out that they had failed to clear one of their goals, there was a chance that they might come back to finish the job.

After they'd come this close to losing her, and with her future still uncertain, he didn't want to take the chance of using her as bait. He was almost certain that if he did, Ginshiro would likely never forgive him- and probably quit the force entirely. Not that the thought had even once crossed his own mind- though he was vaguely considering if it would be permissible to fire the officer who _had_ suggested it.

"Yes, of course I do." Otaki said, nodding his head. "But you don't really think...?"

"No, I don't." Heizo told him, pushing back his chair as he rose to his feet. "But there's no doubt that what he's trying to do is dangerous. We need to bring him home before he either gets into worse trouble, or gets himself killed."

"Agreed." Ginshiro noted. "If he's still in Kyoto, we might have a higher chance of finding of him. He's knows Osaka's streets too well."

"Not to mention our police force." Heizo noted, sparing his old friend a glance. "At any rate, keep the search for him to officers who know him well. We don't want any of this to get out right now."

"Understood." Ginshiro said, getting to his feet just as they heard a knock on the door. Exchanging glances between the three of them, Heizo cleared his throat.

"Come in." He said.

"Pardon me, chief." The officer that entered bowed his head, pausing for a moment as he glanced between the other two occupants of the office, before remembering the pressing matter that had brought him there in the first place. He was clearly nervous, which was something that more than gleaned interest from the office's occupants. "But we've received word."

"From...?" Heizo asked, merely arching a brow.

"Ah, yes." The officer swallowed, stepping into the office and shutting the door behind him. "From a man claiming to be the leader of the bombers, sir."

* * *

"Aiko, there's a kid here for you!"

"A kid?" Well, he couldn't blame her for sounding incredulous, since generally, one didn't usually find children around the vicinity of a high school, much less asking to speak with the students there. "Sure, I'll be right there."

Makino Aiko. The classmate who had asked Kazuha to fill in for her at the hero show. He was grateful that Heiji had mentioned the girl's name to him in passing when he'd brought it up over the phone, though it had been awhile before he had been able to remember it properly. Still, it wasn't hard to find her once he started looking- though he was somewhat amazed that school was still in session, given the circumstances.

...well, it was easier to go to her school, than it was to try and track down her house, so it wasn't as if he were complaining.

Though he tried to put it from the forefront of his mind, he couldn't help but dwell on the fact that this was also Heiji and Kazuha's classroom as well- and without thinking about it, he found himself searching for where their seats would be. It was harder than he expected- it would seem that fear was keeping no small number of parents from letting their kids go to school.

Thankfully, the one he was looking for wasn't one of them. Just as Heiji had mentioned though, she was using crutches at the moment- no wonder she'd needed someone to fill in for her at the hero show. He'd have to track down the cast and crew of said show after this- the culprit had known that Kazuha would have been at that department store ahead of time- and he needed to find out _how_.

Thankfully, it didn't seem as if any of them had been caught up in the explosion, so talking to them would a simple matter. By the time the first bomb had gone off, they had mostly already closed up for the afternoon, and had left.

"Can I help ya?" As expected of someone who was used to working with kids, her gut instinct seemed to be to stoop down to speak with him- only thwarted by the fact that her crutches prevented her from doing so. "Shouldn't ya be with yer mother, little boy?"

"Actually, I have some questions I need to ask you, Aiko-neechan." Conan told her, brushing aside the _little boy_ remark. "...but they're a bit private, so..."

"...private, huh?" Blinking for a moment, for a half a second, he thought she might refuse- before she let out a small sigh, giving him a bit of a smile. "Then, I suppose it can't be helped. Tell the teacher fer me, Kaede!"

"Thank you!" Putting a big smile on his face, Conan watched as she made her way out of the classroom, carefully sliding the door shut behind her.

"Let's go down the hall a bit." She told him, already prepping herself to make a turn. "The classroom at the end isn't used anymore, so we can talk over there as much as ya want."

"Okay." Nodding his head, Conan fell carefully into step behind her, mentally gauging his speed against that of her crutches. "How did you hurt your leg?"

"Ah..." Clearly, an embarrassing memory, Conan thought, picking up on the way she drifted off. "Actually, I fell down the stairs the other day."

"Heeh." Leaving it at that, Conan walked in near silence with her to the end of the hall, it only broken by the faint chatter in the classrooms that they passed, as well as the sound of her crutches striking the ground. "I'm Edogawa Conan. I'm actually an assistant of Mouri Kogoro!"

"Assistant?" Aiko asked. "Mouri Kogoro? Come ta think of it, I've heard that name before... ain't he that detective that Hattori-kun mentions from time ta time?"

Swallowing back the urge to ask exactly what it was that Heiji said about him, Conan instead nodded his head. "Yeah, that's right! Right now, Uncle Kogoro is helping the police investigate that big department store bombing!"

"Is he?" Aiko blinked- but he didn't mention the way that she paled at the mere mention of it. Well, it was to be expected. If she hadn't broken her leg, she might have been there at the time herself. "Ta think that it brought a famous detective all the way from Tokyo... well, it's not like I can't say it's not a big deal, though."

"But even if ya say that..." Trailing off, Aiko tilted her head. "What would he want from me?"

"Can you keep a secret, Aiko-neechan?" Conan asked, making sure to hush his tone.

"Sure, I can." Aiko said, nodding her head. "Is that why ya wanted to talk ta me in private, Conan-kun?"

"It is." Conan told her. "Actually, it's about your classmate, Toyama Kazuha, the girl you asked to stand in for you."

"Kazuha-chan? What about her?" Aiko asked- and now the pale color of her face became all the more visible. Crap- he hadn't thought about it until right now, but if he wasn't careful, she might end up blaming herself for this. He half wanted to stop there, but the questions needed to be asked, so as much he didn't want to hurt her, that wasn't an option.

"Who was it that knew you were having her fill in for you?" Conan asked.

"Who knew...?" Aiko paused, her brows furrowing together. "The manager of the department store, and the manager of the hero show. I think most of the staff and cast, too. When someone is coming to fill in, he always gathers everyone up and lets them know ahead of time."

"Anyone else?" Conan asked.

"Anyone else... our classmates, I guess." Aiko mused, mulling it over. "But why? What does the bombing have ta do with Kazuha-chan?"

"Ah, that's..." Trailing off a little, Conan's shoulders slumped. Couldn't blame her for asking. "...sorry, Aiko-neechan. I really can't tell you more than that. Uncle Kogoro would get mad at me if I did. It's really, _really_ important, though!"

"...even if ya say that..." Aiko began, before shaking her head. "Alright. I won't ask anymore. But Kazuha-chan... Kazuha-chan's alright, right? I mean, she didn't come ta class today. Hattori-kun not comin' ta class when somethin' this big goin' on is one thing, but Kazuha-chan..."

"Yeah, she's fine." That was a lie, but there was no way that he could tell her that she was currently in a coma. He recognized that look in her eyes- she was already blaming herself, for putting Kazuha in that position in the first place. "We think the culprit might have had a grudge against Heiji-niichan, but I can't really tell you anything more than that. I'm sorry."

"Ah, and of course, please keep what I just said a secret!" Conan quickly added.

"A grudge? Against Hattori-kun?" Aiko blinked. "Just for that, he brought down a department store?"

"We can't say that just yet." Conan said, shaking his head. "Just that we think it might have only been a part of their motive, rather than the whole of them."

"...I guess that makes a bit more sense, but..." Aiko frowned. "If yer asking who knows, when I asked Kazuha-chan ta fill in fer me, I did it at the burger shop in front of the station. I'm pretty sure anyone who was around at the time could have known that much."

"When?" Conan asked. "And did you perhaps notice anything strange when you asked her?"

"Strange... no, not really." Aiko said, shaking her head. "But as fer what time... let's see. It would have been four days ago, just after school let out fer the day. I can give ya the address of the shop too, if ya like."

"Yeah, that would help." Conan said, nodding his head. "Thanks, Aiko-neechan."

There was a chance that the culprit had overheard out of coincidence, but there was also the chance that someone had been following her to gather information ahead of time. Whatever the case, he needed to get a handle on who knew about the switch- from there, he could figure out if the department store had always been the target, or if plans had been changed ahead of time.

If the department store had always been the target, it was still possible that plans had changed- to account for Kazuha's presence there. That the culprit probably had a grudge against Heiji was something he was almost certain about- but even then, there was any number of questions that needed to be answered.

...and why hadn't he made the bombs go off while the show was still going on? Was it because there was a risk that he would have gotten Heiji mixed up in the explosion as well? If that had happened, they wouldn't be able to get what they wanted most- to watch him suffer, as someone as he loved was ripped away from him.

...come to think of it, exactly how much did the culprit know about him the first place? It wasn't as if Kazuha came with him every time he solved case, the ones he came to Tokyo for not withstanding, so would it really have been that common knowledge as to how close they were?

And again, why that exact timing?

It felt as if there was a huge piece that he was missing from this all- but no matter how many times he turned it over in his head, he couldn't think of what it might be.

...no, he supposed the real question he should be asking right now is if _Heiji_ knew what it was. If he had a leg up on them all... it would be hard for them to catch up with him.

And given the circumstances, that thought was more unsettling than he would have liked.

* * *

"Ah, those customers? I remember them well, actually!"

"Really?" Leaning forward, trying to not look too eager, Conan took his phone back from the cashier. "You really remember them, _oniisan_?"

"I do." The cashier replied, with a nod of his head. "I remember it well, since the one with the ponytail let out such a big shout."

"Big shout?" Conan asked, tucking his phone away.

"Yes. It seems that her friend had asked her ta fill in fer her durin' a hero show, or somethin' like that." The cashier recalled. "Seems like she didn't know what favor she was bein' asked fer till that. I think just about the whole shop heard it."

The whole shop... with a slight frown on his face, Conan mulled over this information. "And?" Glancing back up at the cashier, he tried not to look too serious. "Did you perhaps notice anything strange? Like, anyone watching the two?"

"Watchin'..." The man trailed off, seeming to do his best to remember. "Mm, I don't think so. Ya can ask the rest of the staff though, if you want, boy. Almost everyone here today worked that shift."

"Almost?" Conan asked.

"Yeah." The man said. "Our part timer didn't come in today. Come ta think of it, he didn't come yesterday, or the day before that either. Well, either way, I was thinkin' of firin' him, so it works out just as well fer me if he doesn't show up."

A part timer who hadn't shown up for the past two days... it struck him as a bit odd. Granted, there were less people on Osaka's streets lately compared to when he had visited before, so there was a chance that he might be staying home with all the commotion going on, but still...

A good detective didn't leave any stones unturned.

"What's that part timer like?" Conan asked. "If you were thinking about firing him, he can't be a very good worker, right?"

"Yeah." The man said. "He's not friendly at all, doesn't clean the restaurant well, an' on top of that, it seems like he was arrested once before."

"Arrested?" Conan blinked.

"Yeah." The man nodded. "I was willin' ta give him a chance at first since it was a charge he got when he was still a teenager, but it seems like it's not gonna work out after all."

"Do you know what it was for?" Conan asked.

"Let's see..." Folding his arms in front of his chest, the man considered the question. "Shoplifting, I think. Also, gettin' into a fight with a security guard who came ta confront him. It seems like he was doin' it out of stress, but..."

"Heh, is that so?" Conan asked, frowning. "Can I perhaps have his name? I want to ask him too, about these two."

"Sure. Got his address too." The man said. "Though, he hasn't answered the phone when I called him, so he might not even be there right now."

"That's fine." Conan said, giving him a smile. "Thank you, _oniisan_!"

An troublesome employee who hadn't been in for the past two days... suspicious. It was definitely suspicious. If was perhaps connected with the bombing group, and had overheard Kazuha's plans by chance here...

...even that was true, it still felt as if there was a piece that was missing. Something... some kind of connection to Heiji, that would motivate someone to do this in the first place.

First chance he got, he would have to take a closer look at those files that the professor had sent him. If someone had a grudge against Heiji, one big enough to go so far to hurt him, it probably lay there, in his work as a high school detective.

This case, he thought, would be much easier to figure out if the group would just break their silence and release a statement. Was there a reason they hadn't yet?

"But I'm surprised." The cashier's voice caught Conan's attention. "First that high school detective, an' now you. I didn't realize my part timer was so popular."

"High school..." Conan trailed off, snapping to full attention. Though he'd let _that one_ know where he was, there was no way they would have arrived already. "By any chance, do you mean Hattori Heiji?"

"Yeah, that's the one." The man said, nodding his head. "Came by here about an hour ago, askin' more or less the same questions you did, boy."

An hour ago!

"Thank you, _oniisan_!" All but taking the address out of his hand as soon as he gave it to him, Conan quickly glanced over it, before stuffing it into his pocket. "You've been a big help!"

If he moved quickly, there was a chance that he might be able to catch up with him.

* * *

"Ah, you mean Matsuno-san? Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen him around in the past few days."

With a smile, Conan thanked the neighbor for her information. The address in question had lead him to a rather rundown apartment building, where all the neighbors had the same story to tell- that they hadn't seen the neighbor, Matsuno Takato, in the past few days. Out of that number, two of them had also told him something beside that- that this was the second time today that they had answered that question, and had done so around an hour ago.

Heiji had been here.

Of that he was certain.

It was a given, that he would follow this thread himself. With his only line to the group cut, he would have to find some other kind of lead- and it was only natural that he would start wondering about who it was that could have passed along the information about Kazuha filling in for the hero show that day.

In a way, it was almost comforting to know how similar their thoughts were, even when they were separated. But it wasn't a feeling that he could rest easy in- because though Heiji had been here, it became clear that he had missed him. And as much as he wanted to search for him at once...

...he had come here to do a job, one that he couldn't just walk away from for personal reasons.

So do that job he would. Approaching Matsuno Takato's apartment, Conan frowned. He had gotten here, but how was he going to get in? It was on the third floor, so it wasn't as if he could peek into the apartment from the veranda. Checking under the doormat didn't find him any spare keys, and there wasn't anywhere else to hide one. His frown deepening, he turned his attention back upwards, his expression changing to a faint smile as he took note of something that he had missed before.

"...I see. So that guy really was here."

At least, that was if the pick marks on the lock didn't belong to the culprit who had killed Higashi Satoshi. It didn't come as much surprise to him that Heiji would know how to pick a lock as simple as this in the first place- and with so much at stake right now, he doubted he cared that much about the legality of breaking into someone's home.

That wasn't a thought that sat quietly with him, but he put it out of his mind.

Reaching into his pocket, Conan produced his handkerchief, using it to jiggle the handle. With a small smile, he found that it had been left unlocked, and with a moment of caution, opened the door.

At first glance, he thought for a second that the apartment had been ransacked- but closer examination revealed that it's occupant was probably just a messy person. He also didn't fail to miss the discarded security tags within the garbage bin- apparently, this was one shoplifter that didn't feel much remorse about their actions.

Another thief, he couldn't help but think. This time's suspect also had an assault to their record, but still, it was a long way to go from that, to blowing up a building. How had they gotten involved? And what kind of person was the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes, to convince a pair of petty thieves to go to such extreme lengths.

It looked like he might have to look even deeper into the personal history of both this man, as well as the deceased Higashi Satoshi than he had first thought. There was already something bothering him- he hadn't had a chance to check out the latter's record just yet, but if he could manage to get his hands on it, he got the feeling that it might shed some important light onto the situation.

Though if he'd noticed this, he had very little doubt that Hattori Heizo already had.

Carefully making his way through the apartment, cautious not to disturb anything, Conan half wished that he had the foresight to bring some gloves with him. He wondered if Heiji had.

The sound of phone's alarm going off nearly sent a bolt of panic through him, carefully moving to silence it before it could attract anyone's attention. Letting out a long sigh, his shoulders slumped, not checking the mail that he had gotten just yet. It was from Haibara though, so he'd definitely check it out in just a second.

What caught his attention more right now was...

Empty beer cans had been strewn about the place in haphazard fashion, but just one single can had been placed neatly on top of the man's desk. It was clearly out of place no matter how he looked at it, as if it had been left there on purpose. With a slight frown, Conan pulled himself up on the chair, taking note of a single sheet of paper that had been placed on the desk, the beer can being used to hold it in place.

He recognized the handwriting at once.

Heiji really had been here- in this apartment. And what's more, he had clearly expected that he would follow after his tracks- that was the only way to explain the message that had been left behind.

His third address of the day. He didn't recognize it off the top of his head, but that was no surprise, given the address was in Osaka.

There was nothing else written, not even when he carefully removed the beer can, and checked underneath. Letting out a long sigh, on a hunch, Conan checked the message that Haibara had sent him, a grim expression on his face.

The confirmation that Heiji was doing well was good, but the fact that he had predicted he would come here, and hadn't waited around for him didn't sit well with him. But what sat less well with him was the hunch that he had- and as he thought, checking the mail that he had been sent only served to confirm one of his worst fears- if thankfully, not the _worst_ of the batch.

 _Culprits have sent notice to Osaka police headquarters -Haibara Ai._

Slumping back in the chair, Conan listened to it's cheap construction creak underneath even his slight weight. He didn't have any proof, none at all- but he was willing to bet that the address contained within the message that Heiji had left for him could only be one thing.

The location of the next bombing.


End file.
